


Nightdreams

by NarutoDays (DAYS8)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Complete, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Lemon, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-08-09 11:33:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 80,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16449155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAYS8/pseuds/NarutoDays
Summary: Friends with benefits - Naruto and Hinata find comfort in each other after the war.Complete!*Chapters 3 & 12 edited 3/21/19 :)





	1. Sleepless Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy the NaruHina! :)

He exhales harshly, the air leaving his chest so quickly, it hurts.  

He stares at the dark ceiling where just a strip of light from a lamppost glares its way through the blinds.  

His breathing steadies, but it still hurts.  It was a dream of his late godfather.  Too good, too perfect to be a nightmare, but with the way the images of his precious people, who are gone ( _they're gone_ , he reminds himself) plagues his sleeping consciousness, he barely ever sleeps through the night.  

Instead, he stays up, punishing himself for reasons he is still trying to figure out, by reliving the memories.  

On nights like this, particularly after dreams of the Ero-sennin, he would rather stay awake.  Than be visited by the ghosts of his parents, catching visions of a life he never lived with them.  Than be visited by Utakata, asking him about Hotaru, and be filled with regrets he knows he shouldn’t carry.  Or worse, dream of Neji.

He holds himself in the silence of his bedroom.  

In the night, he’s alone.

He’s terribly and frightfully alone, and the loneliness is only amplified by the lack of it in the day.  In the day, he doesn’t get a second of quiet.

And then he comes home.  Strips off the wrappings that cover his arm, which looks like the monsters that nearly killed so many of his friends.  He dreams of that, too--his arm taking on a mind of its own, taking the lives of innocents. 

But those he knows are nightmares.

He has to remind himself, _It’s my arm._ He has to hold a Rasengan in his plaster white palm, see the chakra warp and spin and dissipate into air, and think about his father and godfather leaving him that quickly, too.  And then correct himself for being so morbid.  His name is Uzumaki Naruto, after all, he has a reputation as the Number 1 Knuckle-Headed Ninja to uphold.  He reminds himself that he, of all people, doesn’t get insomnia.  He doesn’t get depressed.

He looks around his bare bedroom, rebuilt after Pein’s Assault, and sits there on his bed in the silence.  He hates it, even though it’s all he’s ever known.  He hates being alone.  He can feel Kurama stirring inside of him, worrying for him, possibly pitying him.  

**_You’re not alone._ **

“I know I’m not alone, Kurama.”  _I know I have you and all the other bijuu.  I know I have people who care about me._

Kurama’s silent response irks him.  When he realized Kurama could understand all of his thoughts, but he could never read Kurama’s thoughts, he couldn’t help but feel like this wasn’t a fair bargain.

**_Go into Sage Mode._ **

_What, why?_

**_Just do it._ **

So Naruto does.  He figures it gives him something to do other than ruin his sight from staring at the Rasengan all night.

Energy from invisible matter surges around him, slipping into his cells until he himself is just a pulse of nature.  He continues his meditation as chakra signatures light up the dark space of his mind’s eye, twinkling and flaring depending on the strength of the holder.  

He stretches the reach of his mind, until he comes upon one that is steady, can really only be likened to a waterfall, thrumming in power and grace.  Sakura’s.  Based on the direction, he can tell she’s on the night shift at the hospital.  Working her ass off as always.  He’s not the only one awake.  He smiles slightly, considering Kurama’s earlier words.  

Finding comfort in this knowledge of his comrade, he reaches his sensory abilities further, touching the signatures of Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba.  He assumes they’re all sleeping, being where he thought they would be.  He reminds himself it is 2:20 AM.  Having nothing better to do, he continues his search.  Going down a checklist of random friends and acquaintances. _Izumo and Kotetsu, far away, probably on a mission.  Tsunade-no-baachan, at the bar, with Shizune-neesan._  He wants to laugh at the former Hokage, cry, and get mad at her for living her life that way.  It’s upsetting.  He forges on. _Hokage-Kakashi-teacher, at the cemetery._  That upsets him, too.  

His mind’s eye catches another familiar chakra signature there.  

It’s an intangible blue, blue like the ocean in the afternoon sun, warm like the sky.  Hinata’s.  For all her quiet ways, her chakra signature is one of the boldest and most inviting he knows of, attesting to the strength that he knows she has, yet still never fails to surprise him.  

He focuses his concentration on her, wondering _what_ she’s doing there.  At this time of night.  

He doesn’t wonder long. He can picture the tomb she’s bending over.  He can almost imagine her fingers tracing the engraved kanji, her voice catching in her throat as she tries to say his name.  He’s seen her there before.  Tonight must be no different. 

He sits up for hours, tracing the flow of her chakra at Neji’s tombstone, imagining himself there with her in her silent vigil.

 

When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he slips into Sage Mode and finds her.  Sometimes she’s making her way toward the cemetery.  Sometimes she’s already there.  Just a small part of him tells him he might be intruding on a private moment: one that is only meant for her to know about.  But he doesn’t stop.  He knows she’s hurting.  He knows he’s been hurt, too, even after coming out the victor of the war.  He molds the edges of his vision around her chakra, as if he’s placing his hands near a fire for warmth.  

 

A handful of days later, he sees her walking through the village after coming from a sparring session with her teammates.  She sees him, too.

Naruto stares at her, wondering why she doesn’t have bags under her eyes.  

Hinata’s gaze shies away from his distant scrutiny.  

He comes back to himself and shouts a late hello.  

 

That night he resolves himself.  If he’s going to be up from dreams and nightmares, he’ll join her, for real, in person.

As fate would have it, he dreams of Neji.  They’re on a mission, and it’s so simple, it’s just him and Team Guy.  They’re running through the trees as Lee shouts about Springtime and Youth, and Neji has a visible knot of annoyance forming above his brow.  Neji shouts at Lee to focus on their objective. Tenten just gives an audible sigh. And he himself is just laughing at all of them.

He wakes up.  He stills his breathing into Sage Mode and finds her chakra, like a beacon of light in a humming sea of nature energy.  She’s already there.

He bounds out of his bed faster than he is used to, getting his foot tangled in his sorry excuse for a blanket.  He trips and falls. _Ah, fuck!_  Tears are threatening the edges of his eyes, and he collects them against the base of his hand before detangling himself and bouncing up.  His face twists in the frustration of loss, of the memory of his worst mistake during the war. He pulls on something to wear and runs out of his apartment.

He gets to the cemetery in five minutes, having run there as if his dark apartment would drag him back.  He sees her there, too, but not like what he imagined. She’s lying beside the tombstone, her body curled up in the grass.  Her hand rests lightly against the stone. Naruto approaches, now unsure. Her defenseless posture screams at him to turn around, to not interrupt her private mourning.  He’s not even sure she’s awake.

Her head jerks up.

He’s been spotted.

“...Naruto-kun?”

Her voice is quiet, but it carries through the chirp of summer’s insects.   

She sits up slowly, and Naruto has no choice but to close the distance between them.  “Hey,” he offers, just as quietly.

She makes room for him to sit before the tombstone.  

He takes her up on the offer and plants himself there.  His hands reach out to rub the stone. He sees Hinata do the same.  He realizes he should have been here a week ago when he first felt her chakra signature.  

Peace.

He feels at peace.

 

His eyes crack open before he registers the grass poking at his face.  He remembers he’s at the cemetery.  Stars still dot the dark sky, but first light shines on the horizon.  

Someone’s foot...Hinata’s...kicked his legs, and that’s why he woke up.

He pushes himself up and blearily eyes the stone.  It’s then he realizes he actually fell asleep.  And stayed asleep without any visitors. 

He sees that Hinata has stretched out in the grass, blissfully unaware of the world.  

He wonders if she suffers from dreams, too.  He wonders if she can only sleep peacefully at Neji’s tomb, too.  He sits there longer, his eyes following the fall of her hair across her shoulders, contemplating the masks they both wear to appear normal.  The masks so many of his friends must be wearing.

His thoughts are interrupted by her soft smile.  She sits up, running her fingers through her hair to gather thick, inky blue strands over one side. 

He realizes he's staring when she gives him another smile, this one pained, and he recognizes that she's only just truly woken up, back to reality. 

He drops his gaze back to Neji's tomb, and he realizes he can breathe. 

He can grieve, and she won't judge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> As much as I wouldn't approve of friends with benefits in real life, I just love this trope with NaruHina <3  
> And I know I shouldn't start a new series, but I have completed the outline all the way to the end for It's No Secret! The next chapter is underway.  
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Sharing the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy the NaruHina :)  
> *Edited 3/29/19 with improved transition*

His footfall is light, but she turns her moonlit eyes toward him every time.  Sometimes she greets him with a soft, “Good evening,” and something that can almost be described as a smile--a twitch of the corners of the mouth he knows he mimics in return.  Other nights, she only spares him a glance before laying back down in the grass.

And then there are nights like tonight.  He barely sees the glow of her gaze before she turns away and hides her face in her hands.  The first time he saw her crying, he didn’t know if he should stay. He almost left. But she ordered him to stay.  So he did. And he does.

He settles beside her on the left side, _his_ side, and places an arm around her huddled shoulders.  He squeezes his hand against her arm in what he hopes is a soothing pressure.  He watches her bangs tremble before sliding his attention to the stone before them.  He can hear her quiet, barely controlled sobs; he can feel the jump of her back muscles as her shattered breaths wreck her form.  

His own throat and chest feel thick and heavy.  His vision clouds, and he lets his own tears fall, only because she can’t see it.  And if she does, she’s the only one, he feels, who wouldn’t be shocked at the sight.  He lets out a harsh breath and rubs his eyes clear with his free hand.

Her fingers, wet with her own tears, gently clasp his hand.  She has calmed some, and she doesn’t look at him. Her chin is lowered against her knees, her gaze on the grave.  It’s so quiet, he thinks maybe he imagined it, but he thinks he heard her whisper, “Thank you.”

His arm around her shoulder grasps her tightly, and he’s comforted to feel her head fall against his shoulder.  

She rubs mindless patterns against the back of his hand.

He closes his eyes and smoothes the goosebumps on her arm.

 

The following night he has jackets with him.  When he senses her, he turns to find a strange hesitation in her look.  

She doesn’t want to take it from him.

He can guess at what she means. A sort of punishment.  A sort of suffering by sitting out in the cold fall weather that might make up for everything.

Once she sits beside him, he drapes it over her anyway.  He smiles and apologizes, “Sorry, don’t want you to catch a cold, y’know?”

She gives him a begrudging word of appreciation, a blush tinting her face that even he can see in the dark.  It warms him more than the extra layers of clothing.

 

On nights she’s on missions, he doesn’t get sleep.  He doesn’t go to the cemetery.  Once, he did.  It was way lonelier to sit among the dead in Sage Mode than to just sit in his bedroom.  That was when he realized it was Hinata who made that essential difference.

It’s sneaky of him, but when he feels her chakra signature leaving the Hyuuga compound, he knows she’s back, and he runs to meet _her_ there.  They hold hands while they doze, and he doesn’t question it.

But he does wonder if she still visits the cemetery when he’s on missions.  He doesn’t really doubt that she does, but he wonders if maybe he makes that much of a difference for her, too.  He doesn’t ask.

He doesn't ask her why she only visits at night.

He doesn't ask her if her teammates know.  Or if her family knows.  Or if he's the only one who knows.

When he sees her around the village, he wonders about her serene presence, about how she can seem so effortlessly calm, untroubled.  He wonders if he's had even a small part in helping her, in helping her maintain...herself...the way she has been helping him be more  _himself_ throughout the day. 

Because life in the village, post-war, is far from peaceful, far from normal.  Rebuilding lost structures, assisting broken families, revising failed systems, the work never ends and none of them have time to fix themselves. 

So on the rare occasions they have time to be themselves, or to at least  _try_ to be themselves, Naruto notices that they all take full advantage of it, himself included.

   

The ball arches beautifully in the air, landing squarely in the cup.  

“Hah!  Check me _out_!  I’m so damn awesome, most awesome shinobi ever in the history of eVERRR!”   

“You-”  Sakura is holding a finger up that does little to actually emphasize the weight of her words.  “You are.  cheaaating.  Theeeerre is absolutely.  No way!  You can hit these stupid fucking balls,” she picks it up out of the cup and makes a show of scrutinizing it.  After staring at it for a second too long, she continues.  “Into these stupid fucking cups.  With!  As much as you have been drinking.  Tonight.  Fuck!  You!”

“Hehe.  Driiiink uuup!”  Naruto’s shit-eating grin has Sakura swinging at him, but even despite his proximity, she can’t land a solid hit.  She gives up quickly and drinks.

Ino catches her stumbles and carries her over to his couch, where Hinata and Tenten are sitting closely together, engrossed in catalogues from his junk mail.

Naruto watches Hinata.  Stares at how _pink_ she is.  The glow is real.  It’s way worse on her than anyone else in the room, but he’s certain she hasn’t drunk that much alcohol.  “You.  Are.  Glowing.”  His voice cuts through all conversation and when she looks up at him and meets his gaze, he smiles as if he knows something she doesn’t.

Her hands shoot to her cheeks, and she squeaks.  “Ahh it’s so embarrassing, Naruto-KUN!”

Her emphasis on the honorific is somehow hilarious, and he laughs hard at her attempt at reprimanding him.  

She scrunches her face up, smiling, mumbling and rambling something along the lines of “Oh my gods, I know, I’m so pink, I can’t help it, I only had two drinks, ugh, what can I do about it?, Naruto-kun, stooop laughing stooooooop!”  

He’s laughing and smiling.  He’s so warm.

He’s not drunk.  He’s not even close to tipsy.  Kurama’s chakra constantly burns off threats to his system, and he has never even had a cold.  

But on nights like this, he pretends that he is.  He can say and do whatever he wants, however he wants, when he wants to, and no one blames him for what he does or gets mad at him, except Sakura.  And that happens on a regular basis, anyway, so nothing different.

After giggling out a sorry not _actually_ sorry, and he catches Hinata shaking her head in defeat, he joins a card game with the boys.  “Juust warning allll of you.  Now!  That I’m going to be the richest man.  The richest. Man.”  He pulls his cockiest face, and Kiba gets up in arms immediately.  “Even you, Shikaamaaru.  Are going down.”  Shikamaru takes the bait, too.  They are so drunk, they can’t even figure out when their cards are facing outwards.

 

Mostly everyone left.  Except one person.  Kiba and Shino offered to take her home, but Naruto insisted he do it since the Hyuuga compound is in the opposite side of the village from their own homes.  The two boys just warned him to not do anything funny with her because they’d be the first to find out.  Naruto believes them.

The problem is she’s sleeping.  She dozed off sometime during a late night movie special.  Naruto didn’t let them wake her up by firmly saying she doesn’t get enough sleep.  The sobriety in his statement left everyone looking at him for a moment longer than necessary.  Then everyone parted.

He nods his head at his choice to let her sleep.  Better in his apartment than to force her to go through the cold streets back to the compound.  Winter is approaching.  He pulls a couple of sheets over her, turns out the light, and heads to bed.

 

He turns over to find her standing in his bedroom doorway.  “Hinata?” He lifts his body up halfway.  “Are you okay?”

He notes her confused face and wonders if she had a nightmare.

“Naruto-kun?...You were fighting and you…”  She sounds a bit panicked, and her face is screwed up in concentration.  He can see her working through dreams and reality.  “...Naruto-kun, you’re okay?”

“Yes.  Yes, Hinata.  I’m fine.”

“...You’re okay?”

“Yeah.”  He gets up and walks over to her, and he’s randomly aware of how small she is.

Her eyes are laced with concern for several seconds, until awareness seems to break over her.  She’s breathing and blinking.

“You were dreaming,” Naruto tells her quietly.

She nods.  She seems to come to more realizations and abruptly apologizes, “I’m so sorry.  What am I doing?  I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he soothes.

Her eyes search his again, and she seems relieved by whatever she sees in him.  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmurs.

“I’m fine,” he encourages.  He doesn’t want to know what happened to him in Hinata’s nightmare.  “Go back to sleep.”  He begins walking her back out to his living room.

She looks at the floor and shakes her head.  “I can’t.”

Naruto nods in understanding.  He watches her look out his window, and he just knows she’s contemplating going to the cemetery.  But he has what he needs right here with him.  And being with the living is so much better than being with the dead, right?  He doesn’t want Hinata sleeping among the graves forever.  “Hinata.”

She turns to him, expectant.

“I haven’t actually fallen asleep, yet.”  He sheepishly scratches his temple, unsure of how to continue his request.  Being direct is always his style.  “Can you just, uh, sit with me on the couch?  And maybe the nightmares won’t come again, y’know?”  He doesn’t clarify whether he means his own or Hinata’s.    

She nods and sits down on his couch, automatically pulling the sheets around her.  

Naruto takes the opportunity to flounce down next to her and pull the sheets over himself, too.  “Share the warmth, y’know.”

Hinata looks at him wide-eyed, and Naruto can’t help smiling.  He can’t tell if he’s being too much, so he decides to go extra and pull the sheets over more, just to make sure.

They slide over, pulling her dress up, exposing her legs.

His eyes are drawn to the rounded flesh of toned thighs, until they’re hidden from view with a sudden tug against his pull.

“Na-Naruto-kun!”  She sounds scandalized, and he wonders if he was gawking.

“What?”  He looks at her and grins.

“...Share the warmth, you know!” she mimics his words, and it sounds so silly in her ladylike tones, he cracks up.  

She laughs, too, and it fills him with _something_ , but he doesn’t ponder to figure out what it is.  He’s just happy.  Happy that she seems happy.  Happy that they’re a pair of insomniacs who at least can share whatever this moment is.

 

“You must know him.”

“Mmm…”

“You know him!  The kid!  The one with the hair all, y’know-”  Naruto gestures frantically above him.

Hinata looks at him skeptically.  “Fumio-kun is the one who lets the chickens out of their coop, steals the eggs, paints them, and then puts them back?”

“Yeah, that brat threw two eggs at me on that mission last week to the orphanage.”

“Really?”

“They weren’t even colored!”  Naruto takes offense to the fact that he isn’t worth at least _one_ of the painted eggs.

Hinata laughs lightly and shakes her head.  “Did you catch them?”

“Yes, I caught them!”

“Well, then, it was alright, right?”  

Suddenly, he feels too embarrassed to tell her that when he caught the eggs, they burst all over his hands and arms.  It’s strange, normally he thinks he would tell her anything.  He had intended on telling her the whole story.  Instead, he just nods his head and shrugs, feigning a coolness he’s certain he pulls off.  “Yeah.  Yeah, it was alright.  In the end.”

Hinata looks like she’s trying to read something in his expression, and he diverts the subject back to their missions.  “When are you on rotation again?”

“In a couple of days, we’re going to help with installing a new wells system in western Fire Country.”

Naruto frowns in thought.  “Why doesn’t Hokage-Kakashi-teacher send me on missions to help with the rebuilding efforts anymore?”

“Hokage-Kakashi-teacher…?”  Hinata’s smile is curious and amused.  

Naruto frowns.  He hasn’t quite yet figured out what to call his old sensei.  

“Well, it must be because you’re a people person.”

“People person?  I have the Kage Bunshin, I mean, the mission would be over in an hour if I did it.”

Hinata seems to be stifling a laugh, and Naruto looks at her with a smug expression.  He knows his joke was corny and egotistical, but it really makes him feel awesome to know that Hinata thinks he has a good sense of humor.

“That’s true, but you’re good at cheering people up.”

Naruto traces the fall of her hair and the glimmer of her eyes with his gaze.  His voice is quieter than he expects.  “Am I?”

She nods but won’t meet his eyes.  “You cheer me up.”  Her fingers pinch at the thin fabric of the sheets, and he wonders what she’s remembering.

“Good.”

She looks straight at him, finally, and everything in him clenches.  He throws an arm around her, pulling her close.  For a second, she’s stiff against him, but then she relaxes.  Her weight against his side is real, warm, and right.  His apartment is just as dark as any other night, but it feels completely different.

 

When the fog of sleep clears, the sight of her midnight blue lashes against her white cheeks greets him.  He’s frozen as he registers other aspects of their position.  She’s pushed against the back of the couch, while he’s dangerously close to the edge.  It seems in an effort to keep himself from rolling off, his legs crossed with hers.  Their arms are laying against each other.  He remembers waking in the night, immediately missing her, and finding her lying down.  He remembers fitting himself beside her.  He kind of can’t believe he let himself do that, so he blames the sleep deprivation.  He wonders if he can get up without waking her.  He finally determines that if he moves, she’ll wake up.  So he stays there, staring at her face.

He can’t help but focus on her mouth.  The curves of the soft-looking skin bother him in a way that has him suddenly aware of his own lips.  He swallows inaudibly at the yearning to get closer to her, and he wonders if he has a death wish.  He forces his eyes up and stares at the fan of her lashes, instead.

They flutter open.

He intakes a sharp breath of air.  

She blinks in confusion and makes a muffled sound of surprise.

Naruto watches her take stock of the situation.  He notices for the first time that her pupils have faint webs of the lightest lavender.  He tries to speak, but his voice is rasped, and he clears his throat to try again.  “Good morning.”

He sees her face flush brilliantly, and it’s amazing.  

“N-N-Na-”  She clears her throat, too, but it sounded fine to him.  “Naruto-kun.  Good morning...what...why…?”

Now it’s his turn to blush as her questions abruptly dissolve the last vestiges of his dazed mind.  He attempts to get up too quickly and falls off the couch.  “Ack, ugh.”  He sits up and sees Hinata upright, too, her eyes wide in concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just, yeah.  I feel great, actually.”  He blushes and works his hand into the back of his neck.  “I slept really well.”  He darts his attention back to Hinata to catch her reaction, and she looks just as embarrassed as him.

“Me, too.”  Her murmur is soft, but it’s enough.  

He smiles at her before bounding up toward the kitchen.  “You want anything to eat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Smut begins next chapter.  
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Cold Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some heavy NH smut is about to get started!  
> Warning: Dubious consent.  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina :)  
> *smut edited 3/21/19 to emphasize it's his first time*  
> *smut edited again 4/22/19 cuz I'm just never happy with this chapter*

She’s leaning her face into his arm, and he feels a heavy responsibility for her.  

“Take her _home_.”  Kiba glares at him with a healthy dose of killing intent.

“I will!  I will! Geez!”

“Naruto.  Take her home.”  Shino rounds on him and suddenly there’s bugs in the air.

“I fucking said I will!  What do you guys take me for?  Hinata’s an important friend to me, too!”  Naruto doesn’t understand why he’s getting threats instead of words of gratitude for volunteering to walk the clearly drunk Hyuuga home in the middle of winter.

Shino seems satisfied with his answer and nods at him before leaving Sakura’s apartment.

Naruto stares at the door for a moment, still fed up with his friends’ attitudes.  With a huff, he talks to the head of blue hair beside him. “Hinata, we need to get your boots on.”  

She nods against his arm and suddenly walks with distinct purpose.  Carefully sitting down, she grabs her foot first, then shoves it into the boot.  She does the same with the second boot. She doesn’t stand up.

“Uh, Hinata?”

She seems to wake up from her thoughts and stands.  She immediately opens the door.

“Goodniiight, be safe!” Sakura calls from the hallway.

“Oh, bye, Sakura-chan!”  Naruto notices Hinata’s not inside anymore and runs out after her.  

 

The cold is blistering.  Sharp wind hits his face and snow swirls around the dark street.  Not a word of thanks from her ungrateful teammates. Somehow the pretty snowfall turned into a relentless snowstorm over the last four hours.

“Hinata!  Wait up!” he calls.  

She pauses in her ambling path and watches him run up to her in confusion.  “Naruto-kun?”

“I’m taking you home,” he explains. _It’s so damn cold._  “Let’s go.”

Her face twists into an annoyed expression.  “Noooo.” She shakes her head to emphasize her words.  Her hair is getting covered with snow.

Naruto pulls her hood up over her hair.  “What do you mean, ‘noooo.’ Come on.” He starts walking in the direction toward the compound, gloved hands deep in his pockets.  He turns around to look if she’s following. She’s not. In fact, she’s going in another direction. It takes only a second for him to realize where she’s headed.  

A week ago, during the first snowstorm of the season, he had found her at the cemetery.  She was bundled in numerous layers, but her face was almost blue. He scooped her up to her protests and forcibly took her home.  He noticed that she hadn’t gone back since, to his relief (and disappointment, but he shoves that down deep).

Since then, he’s been staying alone at home.  Checking everyone’s chakra signatures, doubling back on Hinata’s every so often.  He passes out from exhaustion, only to start awake after realistic visions of red hair and deep blue eyes.  He stays up, wondering if Hinata’s sleeping. He stays up, staring at his Rasengan, imagining what his father was like and reliving his past with the Ero-sennin.  

He sighs.  He hoped a night at Sakura’s, with close friends, would be good for both of them.  “Hinata,” he yells.

She trudges on in the building snow.

Naruto runs after her.  “C’mon, Hinata. It’s so cold.”

“It’ll be just for a minnute.  You can go hoomme.” He can hear the effort she’s putting forth to sound sober.

“I’m not going home without making sure you’re safe.”

“I’m stronng.  I’m fiine.”

“Yes.  I know.  But it’s so cold, it doesn’t matter how strong you are.  And you’re drunk.” It’s hard for him to not notice that she keeps bumping into him as she walks, unable to keep a straight path.

“I’m nnot drunk.”

“Yeaahh, you really are.  How many drinks did you have?”  Naruto realizes he’s walking in pace with her to the cemetery.   _Damn it_.  

“Just.  Just four.”  She smiles at him dreamily, and Naruto has to stifle his own smile that rises so naturally in response to her expression.

“Just four, huh.  That’s probably a drink over your limit for someone your size.”  He wants to sound disapproving.

“Mhm.  I mmade suuure to eat and drinnk lots of water, too.”  She sounds proud of herself. “What’s yourr limit, Naruto-kun?”  The glint in her eyes makes him wonder if she asked a different question.  

“Huh?”

“I asked…”  She looks at him through long lashes.  “What’s yoour limit?”

Naruto can’t figure out why she sounds so...something...almost like his fangirls.  Unable to think up a lie, he tells her the truth. She might not remember it anyway.  “I don’t have a limit.”

“Whhat.”  Her giggles must have an ulterior motive.  “I guess someonne who’s big and stronng like youu doesn’t have limits.”

His mind stumbles, but before he can process her words, a gust of wind blows at their faces. _It’s so damn cold._  “Aren’t you cold?”

“Noo, it’s sooo hott.”  

Naruto feels like things are getting away from him fast when she starts unbuttoning her coat.  “Don’t you dare take your clothes off!” He starts trying to rewrap her.

“Naruto-kun.”  She’s pouting. “Don’t you want to see me?”

His eyes bug out.  There’s no way to misunderstand her when she’s looking at him like _that_.  But he answers her as intelligently as he can.  “What?”

Hinata keeps walking, her path zigzagging through the snow toward the cemetery, and he stands there shocked.  She was a bit giggly at the party, but she has never been like _this_ to him before.  It’s confusing, flattering, and _it’s so cold._  He catches up with her easily.  “Hinata, you shouldn’t say things like that,” he scolds, nodding at his own words.  “There’re perverts everywhere, y’know. You don’t know what some guys might do to a girl like you.”

“Hmm…”  She tilts her head back and forth a few times too many in consideration of his wise words.  She seems to come to a decision as she turns to look at him. “I’ll be fiine, Naruto-kuun.” She nods her head extremely seriously.  “I weear a chakra-con.”

He stares at her.  “A chakra-con?” As soon as the word leaves his mouth, he remembers what it is.  He knows he must have flushed red because she’s giggling. “Th-that...Hinata...that won’t...that wouldn’t stop…”  

She flashes a smile at him, playful and coy.    

His jaw drops.  She’s completely messing with him.  And it explodes a flurry of questions he never thought to wonder about _her_.  “Wait...Hinata, who...”  He can’t ask her who she’s done _it_ with.

She’s not listening anyway.  Her expression is somber as they near the gates, and she’s obviously deep in thought.  

“...Hey, you okay?”

Her eyes turn up toward him, and tonight, they’re as white as the snow around them.  “Naruto-kun.” Her tone has lost the edge it had before. She sounds sad. Endlessly sad.  She doesn’t say anything more.

They step through deep snow in silence to his grave.  

Everything’s buried, and for a second, he thinks they can’t possibly find it.  He forgot about her bloodline until he sees her walking purposefully across the field.  He follows her.

She begins digging it out, and Naruto doesn’t have the heart to stop her.  He helps, even as more snow falls around them. Eventually Neji’s stone is clear of the snow.  

It starts weakly, quietly, until she’s crying hard, and her gasps catch with the icy wind.  She grips the stone with snow-wet mittens and presses her forehead against it.

It’s cold, and he remembers his promise to take her home.  “Hinata.” He places a hand on her back.

She ignores him.

“Let’s go home.  You’ll get sick out here.”

“I-I-I don’t wannt...to go home!”  

Naruto is more patient with Hinata than with most people.  But his patience is running thin for tonight. It’s cold. She’s super drunk.  It’s cold. She was flirting with him and messing with him. It’s cold. She’s not listening to him.  It’s cold. She’s crying. It’s cold. He doesn’t know what to do. It’s so damn cold.

“Hinata, understand I don’t want to do this, and normally I wouldn’t do this...but we gotta get out of here.  I’m cold and I still need to make sure you get home safely before _I_ can go home.  C’mon.”

She stands up, nodding, apologizing, crying, fists against her eyes.  “I’m so sorry, Naruto-kunnn. I’m so soorrry. Bu-but I don’t wannt to go home.  Neji-niisan i-isn’t there.”

He wants to see the smile she wore earlier.  He considers taking her back to his place. The last time she stayed over, a month ago, was one of the best nights of rest he had gotten in ages.  

He suddenly feels the bundled Hinata pressing against him, hugging him.  

“Naruto-kuunn.”  She’s blinking up at him with large, wet eyes.  “Take me to youur home, please?”

He doesn’t think about it for long.  They get out of the cemetery faster than they got in.

 

Back in his apartment, he strips off his layers.  He’s certain he’s a melting ice cube. He turns on the kotatsu (his one big war earnings splurge) and gets under it quickly.  Even on the low setting, it feels hot for his defrosting feet.

“Hinata, come quick.”

She’s taking her time to remove her winter wear.  She combs her fingers through snow-damp hair, and it leaves a tousled effect.  She stares at her long skirt, the edges wet from the deep snow. Naruto watches her walk to his sink and pick up the soaked material.  “Hina-” She’s wearing leggings underneath. _Of course she’s wearing something underneath…_  Naruto inwardly scolds himself for expecting anything else.  For a second, he watches her wring out her skirt. His eyes draw up what he can see of her dark leggings, to the full curve of her chest. _“Don’t you want to see me?”_  The memory has him averting his gaze.

“Naruto-kuunn.”

He brings his attention back to her cautiously.  

She’s pouting directly at him while holding up her crumpled skirt, completely revealing her toned legs.  “I’m soo wet.”

He knows she’s talking about her skirt, so why the hell is he being so perverted.  “Um, do you want to wear one of my pants?”

She looks at him blankly for a moment and then nods.

“‘Kay hold on.”  

He brings out an old pair of very orange pants.  “These probably won’t fit you since they’re only a few years old.  Do you still want them?”

A smile spreads across her face, and he feels like he must have said the greatest thing in the world for her to smile that way.  “Thank you,” she whispers.

When she comes out, changed, he can’t help but feel funny about it.  The orange color clashes with her pale purple top. The legs fall just beneath her heels.  The waistline is rolled down to rest on her hips still a little too loosely, so one hand bunches a portion of it to keep it up.

“Do I look like Naruto-kun?”  She has that dreamy smile again.

“Umm.”  He can’t tell if that’s the reason he feels funny.  It’s definitely _his_ pants.  On _her._  Something’s wrong.  Or right. Something’s funny.  She looks really good. He can’t answer her question, so he asks his own.  “Is it too loose? I can try to look for a different one.”

She shakes her head, and her grip on the pants loosens.  The waistline shifts a little. “It’s fiine.” His eyes flicker from the pants to her smiling face.  She’s still pretty drunk. The cold walk didn’t do much to sober her up.

“Come under the kotatsu with me.  It’s nice.”

She nods and joins him.  Her cold toes bump against his.  “Mmmm.” She closes her eyes for a second and then smiles at him.  “Warm, like Naruto-kun.”

He scrunches a smile at her words.  “Hm?”

“Nice and waarm.  And coommfortable...just like Naruto-kun.”  Her voice lilts softly. She’s smiling at him guilelessly.  She looks thoughtful for a moment. “Naruto-kun is better.” She smiles at him again.

A small smile of his own works the corners of his mouth, and he shifts his gaze to the heavy cloth that covers him.  He doesn’t often get complimented like this. Sure, he gets complimented a lot these days, but this is different. He looks at her shyly.  “Thanks.”

Her smile grows.  She leans over the table and rests her head in her arms.  She peeks at him.

He doesn’t know why, but he wants more from her.  What else does she think of him? He grins at her.  “It’s not everyday I’m told I’m better than a kotatsu.  Must mean I’m pretty awesome. Can’t think of much else that’s better than this.”  He gestures at the set-up.

She doesn’t swat at him for his ego.  She just smiles and nods in her arms. “Naruto-kun is pretty awesome,” she repeats.

 _She agrees._  That fact swells his confidence.  His memory flashes to her flirtatious words outside.  “And I’m big and strong?”

She smiles more.  Her eyes glint with something sneaky.  She nods. “Konoha’s handsome hero.”

The title’s a little fangirly, so he can’t tell if she’s mocking him or not.  It’s Hinata, though. But then again, with her actions and words tonight, he doesn’t really know what to expect from this drunk version.  He decides to push it. “So I’m handsome, too, huh?” he asks playfully.

Her eyes widen a bit and she blushes.  She averts her eyes. “Naruto-kun is very handsome.”

His grin drops a bit from the sheer honesty in her tone.  Suddenly, he feels extremely aware of himself.

Her eyes shift back to his, and they gaze at each other silently.  

He could tell her everything he thinks about her.  That she’s strong and pretty and makes him feel...

“I missed you.”  Her words are whisper quiet.

He leans forward to hear her better.

“These past nights...were sooo haaard...” she whispers.

He nods and lays his head in his arms, too.  Their faces are close, almost as close as that morning on his couch.  His eyes meet hers. The feathery white centers of her eyes conceal a feeling he recognizes.  Loneliness and…a want...for… “I missed you, too.”

Her eyebrows raise in disbelief.  “Really?”

“Yeah.”  He continues looking into her eyes.  “I can’t sleep.”

“Me, neither.”  The sound of her quiet voice so close does something for him.

He gazes into her eyes longer.  He watches them lower, and he thinks she’s looking at his lips.  

Her eyes meet his again, and she’s blushing.  

Her expression creates an odd pressure in his chest.  He looks at her lips, back to her eyes, and back to her lips, which slightly part.  He’s never kissed anyone before on purpose. He’s had a few accidental kisses in his life, all horrible or embarrassing experiences.  He thinks Hinata wants him to kiss her. He thinks he wouldn’t mind it. He thinks it might be...nice. The idea turns his breath shallow.  He looks directly into her eyes, intentionally searching for confirmation, analyzing the heat behind her gaze. It sends a bubbling desire in his gut.

 

She’s soft.

She kissed him, and the realization sets his heart hammering.  

He watches her in awed wonder as she shifts over to his side of the table.  Once she’s right next to him, she tilts her head up to him and closes her eyes.  She’s waiting for him. So he leans down to close the distance.

Her lips are so soft.  His heart pounds frantically at the sensation.  He can’t breathe. He pushes his lips against hers gently, and he can feel anticipation racing through his body.  

Her tongue licks at his lips, and his mind numbs.  He meets hers with his own. He caresses her, tasting the alcohol of an hour prior.  It’s sweet from the various fruity chuuhai she had throughout the night. He imagines he tastes a lot more sour.

Reminded by how this all happened in the first place, he draws away from her.  She wouldn’t be doing this with him if she wasn’t drunk.

“Naruto-kun,” she whispers.

The longing in her voice is apparent.  And he can’t refuse her when she’s looking at him like that.  He takes her lips again and slowly swirls his tongue in her mouth, relishing the feeling of her own twisting with his.  

He can feel her legs rub against his and her hand smoothly draw up his chest, then lightly pull at his shirt.  She’s sweet. Sweet Hinata, of all people...makes him feel _wanted._  She moans quietly, and the sound goes straight south.  

He can feel the rolled, bunched lining of his pants on her hip.  It’s ridiculously loose, and he palms her sloping side before reaching for her back.  He presses her closer to him, and her body comes up against his. He exhales harshly at how soft she feels before returning to focusing on tasting her.  

Her hand draws around his neck and into his hair, and _damn_ he could do this all night.  He presses his tongue roughly against hers, and she matches his intensity.  Her soft moans make him want more. More of her in his hands. More of her body against his.  More of her taste on his tongue and lips. He draws back from her again to adjust himself to face her, surrounding her with his legs.  

She gazes at him with lowered lids over hazy eyes.  Her mouth is parted as she pants. She brings both hands around the back of his neck and kisses him, arching into him, and he circles his arms around her there tightly.

Her body fits so perfectly in his arms, and he groans as her fingers work against his scalp.  He finds the base of her hairline, cupping her head, and keeps her from drawing away from him for air.  

She tilts her face up from his lips to gasp, but he can’t stop.  

He trails kisses against her chin, then down her white neck, licking and sucking, grasping her tightly.

“Naruto-kun!”  She gasps his name out, and his long-since hardened member twitches in his pants.  Her head tilts, exposing more of her neck to his hungry lips. He sucks on the skin greedily, and she moans lowly.  

He pants against her bare skin.  At the back of his mind, something is telling him he shouldn’t be doing this.  But she feels so damn nice. He kisses her more on her neck. She sounds so damn good.  He catches her lips again and works his tongue into her mouth, finding hers once more. She tastes so damn sweet.  

Even as he grabs at the small of her back, her hip, and at the loose pants, he knows he shouldn’t be doing this.  She’s drunk, and he’s really not, so he knows this is wrong, but...it’s too late. If he stops, then what? Then she might _leave_ him.  And he’d be so _alone_.  His heart clenches at the thought, and he leans over her, pulling her tightly to him.  

He molds his lips against hers, stroking her tongue with his.  He draws back to get a good look at her, to relieve his doubts, to see that she’s as wrapped up in this as he is.

The way she looks at him, so desperately, so devotedly, makes him want to rub his need against her.  

“Hinata, tell me if you want me to stop.”

“Don’t stop.”

Two words never sounded so arousing before.  His breath catches in his throat and he kisses her hard.  He presses his lips on her hot skin and slides his tongue back down her neck just to hear her moan his name again.  She sounds so much like...like she _needs_ him.  He presses his forehead against her shoulder to get oxygen to his brain.  He can hear her panting. He can see her breasts rising and falling rapidly.  He can feel them, too.

“Mmmm…” she moans.

He squeezes them, mesmerized by how her boobs fill his hands.  Concentration furrows his brow, and he raises his head to watch her reaction.  

She turns her face up to share his gaze, her mouth parted open, quick breaths enticing him to place his lips on hers.

“Tell me if you want this,” he murmurs, watching her lips to form the words he needs to hear.

“Naruto-kuunn...I want _you_.”  

His eyes widen at the lust behind her words.  His brows knit closer. “You want me?”

She nods, then pulls her shirt off.  “Naruto-kun.” She slips the straps of her bra off and unclasps it, and he traces with his eyes the deep, shadowed line to over the perfect, soft curve to the rounded, pert nipples.  Her hands smooth over his shoulders again, and they _move_ with her motion.  “I want you.”

He loses his mind.  He’s putting his hands all over her, squeezing her, rubbing her, pinching her.  He kisses her and sucks on her. He swirls his tongue around her hardened nipple and licks her skin as she arches up for him.  He pushes them together and palms her some more.

Her gasps and moans turn into cries, and his name gains urgency in her voice.

After a few more squeezes and licks, he returns his attention back to kissing her lips.  He wraps his arms around her and pulls her close to him, enjoying the feeling of her soft breasts smashed against his chest, the feeling of her warm skin in his arms.  He slides his hand firmly along her bare spine, and drops below the loose pants. He squeezes her ass.

She moans and presses against him even more.

“You want me?”  His voice is low and rough.  His other hand is molding her breast again.  He wants to bury himself in her.

“Yes, yes, I want you, Naruto-kun, please, I want you.”  

 _Fuck_.  There’s no way he can stop now.  He tugs his shirt off, then kisses her more.  

He can feel her hands wandering over his pecs, his shoulders, his biceps, and _damn_ she’s making him feel good.  Her hands travel down his abs, and the muscles tighten at her touch in anticipation of the direction of her caresses.  She presses her palm against his length, and he tries to stop himself from thrusting into her hand.

The faintest stroke of ecstasy washes through him, and he pauses kissing her.  

They gaze at each other intensely.  

She sits up a bit, and the loose pants easily fall off her hips.  She adjusts to pull it off, her eyes flickering up at him.

He gulps and stands.  He holds his hand out to her, and brings her up to standing before leading her to his bedroom.  

She immediately crawls onto his bed and sits to wait for him.  

There’s no way he can stop.  

Not now, when he’s removing her panties to reveal glistening soft skin.

Not now, when he’s intimately caressing her wet folds, kissing her, and palming her breast.

Or when she’s clenching around his finger, and his tongue mimics his penetration in her mouth.

Or when she’s crying, “ _Pleaase,_ Naruto-kun, _please_.”

And he’s somehow already hovering over her in the space between her legs, aligning his sex with hers.  He knows he shouldn’t do this. That this is something that only people who are in love do. After many, many dates.  Or after marriage. That he really, really shouldn’t do this. But he wants it. He wants to feel her. He wants to feel good.  He wants to feel good with her. He wants her to stay with him tonight.

He lowers his lips to hers and kisses her passionately.  His dick presses into her, and the head is engulfed in soft folds.  He lets out an audible groan of pleasure, and then another, as he presses deeper into her, her flesh splitting apart to cling around him.  He bends down and sucks on her nipple. He licks them until their hard, rolling against his tongue. He sucks each of them again, pulling them up with his lips.  

She’s gasping and wiggling beneath him.  

His member slides into her further as fresh arousal leaks around it.  Pleasure courses through his veins.  He catches her lips in a deep kiss while his hand tugs on her nipple.  Unable to stand it, he shoves himself into her, and plush, wet folds envelope him completely.

“Oohhhh!”  Hinata’s cry fills the room.

“Ugh, Hinata.”  He stills in her, gasping for control, trembling from the very feel of her around him.  His gut tightens, his body tense for several moments as he mentally backs away from an imminent climax.  Finally regaining some sense of control, he lifts his head from her shoulder.  He pushes himself up, his gaze passing over her heaving, soft breasts, her closed eyes, settling on her open, panting mouth.  The image is too much, too arousing.  He presses his desire onto her lips to continue kissing her.  

She’s gasping for breath, unable to meet his searching tongue, and he travels lower, kissing and sucking on her neck.  She clenches and relaxes around him, drawing his attention back down to his pulsing length, right on the verge of release. 

He shuts his eyes tightly, panting out his urge, fists balled until he settles once more. 

He licks and sucks at her neck desperately, and she tilts her head, baring more of her smooth skin for him. 

Unthinkingly, he withdraws, the drag of her wet clutch around his stiff member throwing him right back at the brink.

He shudders, pausing, gasping, fighting to reign himself in.  He redirects his desperate energy to circle the tip of his tongue around her pebbled nipples. 

She shivers beneath him.  Strained moans behind tightened lips sing in his ears.

He's sliding himself in, part by part until he's surrounded in her silky hold.  Euphoria has him losing all coherence.  “Shit, _so_ fucking good, ugh.”  She’s unbelievably soft.  Tight.  Wet.  Squeezing him.

“Mm...mm...Naruto-kun...ahh...”  Her quiet voice around his name has him pulling slowly out of her, stars appearing beneath his shut eyelids.  She grips his shoulder blades as he tunnels back in, this time faster, and her blunt nails bite into his back.

He groans, vulgar words spilling out of him in an effort to keep himself from coming.  Her hot passage clings to him, tugging on him, and sucking him back in.  The heady pleasure leaves his mind a fog, his heart pressing at the confines of his chest.  It's overwhelming, as if he might slip and lose himself in her forever, a tantalizing danger that has him withdrawing, then pushing in, again and again, into her soft, tight folds, reveling in the ecstasy traveling through him.

He lets out several breaths, barely pacing them with his thrusts, finally finding a rhythm that won't leave him a spasming mess.  He opens his eyes, finding her glistening, lidded gaze, a feverish stain streaked across her cheeks.  "Hinata..."  He tweaks her nipple, squeezes her supple breast, and thrusts into her deeply multiple times, watching her close her eyes, her parted lips widen around sensual sounds.  He leans down and kisses her sloppily, his tongue laving over hers.  “Hinata, you’re so good...so good...”  He presses heavy kisses at her chin, to her pulse, to the dip of her collar, just to hear her moans.

“Aaaah...ooh...oh...Naruto-kun..oohhh mmm…”

Her breathy gasps fill his ears, and he keeps going, drawing his dick out to the tip just to plunge it back into her deeply.  He’s never experienced anything like this before. Never has someone said his name the way she moans it.  Never has someone made him feel so indescribably euphoric.  Never has someone _wanted_ him.

It’s an awful feeling when it briefly occurs to him that maybe she doesn't really want him.  He’s taking advantage of her while she is still so clearly drunk.  It’s too late.  It’s hundreds of kisses too late; he should have stopped after the first kiss.  He shouldn’t have kissed her back.  Yet he’s tonguing her mouth right now, rolling his hips into her.  

 _Can't, I can't..._   He draws his incredibly hard member out and pushes it deeply in, relishing the way her tight, plush hole massages his burning length.  _So good._   “Hinata…”  He pushes harder, faster.  _She wants this, right?, she wants this..._

“Naruto-kuun..ah!…mmm…oh…”

He bites his lip and watches her pleasured expression, slowing down.  He’ll probably never get this experience again.  He knows that she’ll hate him in the morning.  So while she still wants him, while he’s still deep within her, he brings her closer, encircling her body with his own, pressing himself against her, and thrusts as slowly as he can handle, reaching deeply, drawing out the fleeting moment.  

Her breath is short and quick.  She whispers his name quietly, repeatedly, like a plea.  She’s holding him so tightly, he can’t raise himself to kiss her or really look at her.  Her entire body locks around him, squeezing him, and she’s silent.

Blushing from her tight embrace, he continues to push himself languidly into her pulsing hold, and he realizes his dick comes out drenched in slippery fluid.  

Her body relaxes beneath him and she’s gasping for air.  

He draws up and looks at her with wide eyes.  

Her hands are laying haphazardly over her splayed hair, and she looks completely dazed, apparent relief chasing away her blush.  

 _Did she come!?_   The sight of her sends a rush through him, a needy, instinctual response to join her in completion, to drive himself into her as quickly as he can, repeatedly and unrelentingly.  Each deep push into her clinging flesh strokes building ecstasy, a desperation for release that claws at him as her soaking hold separates, sucks, and swallows him in. 

Her sweet gasps fill his mind once more, and he relinquishes control to her sensation. 

A tightness grips his balls, and his breath catches as a wave of intense, shattering pleasure bursts through his veins.  He buries himself eagerly into her soft, waiting body, gasping for air, shooting thick cum into her plush folds as bright rapture crashes through his entire being.  The high courses through him as he pulls her closer, his pelvis grinding against hers, determined to ejaculate every drop of his pent-up load deep within her.  

He’s left catching his breath against her neck, his spent member soaked in their mixing fluids.  Heavy contentment displaces the haze of lust. For the first time in ages, he feels _tired_.  A deep and all-encompassing satisfaction and comfort settles through him.  He manages to gather enough energy to lift his head and kiss her gently.

She can barely kiss him back.  

He takes in her dozy eyes and her attempt to smile at him.  She looks about to pass out. He lays against her as the kick of adrenaline melts away.  He slips out of her, his heart dropping at the realization that it’s over.  He gazes at where he was, the proof of their coupling dribbling out of her onto the sheets.

Even as he finally gets up, she doesn’t move a muscle.  By her steady breathing, she must have fallen asleep.

He cleans them up a bit and collapses into bed with her.  At the back of his mind, he knows something’s wrong, but all he wants is to have her close.  He pulls the thin blanket over their bare bodies, holds her hand, and succumbs to the welcome exhaustion.

 

By habit, ingrained since his Academy days, he wakes up before 8.  Steady morning light streams into his quiet bedroom, and he doesn’t understand how the time passed so quickly.  He lies there, watching Hinata’s peaceful profile. She’s out. With all the alcohol she drank, he assumes she won’t wake up at least for another two hours.  Which gives him two hours to try to figure something out.

Actually there’s a lot for him to figure out.  What made him _do_ that?  What made him think it was a good idea?  How far has his sanity fallen for him to do that to _Hinata_?  Hinata, of all people.  If he wanted to get laid so badly, there are girls lining up at his doorstep (as Ino worded it last night at the party).  _It’s ‘cause she was flirting with me last night!_ He remembers everything she did to seduce him, every little moment that led up to his loss of virginity.  

He stares at the Hyuuga beside him, and the blanket is pulled up around her just enough to hint at her ample breasts.  

He couldn’t get enough of those last night.  How was he supposed to know they would feel like that?  How was he supposed to know how squishy soft they would be?

He takes in the glow of her skin and hair in the morning light.  He has to admit that he finds her really attractive.  Ever since...he’s not sure when...just recently, maybe, he found himself checking her out.  Maybe he wanted her more than he realized.  And when she came onto him, it just made him feel...something... But it doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t help him find any reasoning to defend his actions.  

What’s been done is done.  He can’t take it back, but he can try to make things right from here.  Hinata’s a precious friend.  He can try to salvage something of their friendship, if she’ll still accept him.  He steels his resolve and gets out of bed.

 

The state of his living room is just more visible proof of the wrongs he committed.  Her (his) pants are on the floor, along with her top and bra.  His shirt was flung on the side, too.  

His kotatsu is still on.

_Oh, shit!_

He turns it off and wonders what kind of electricity bill he’ll have for that.  Even though he has some money now, he still mostly spends like a penny-pincher due to his Ichiraku expenses.   

He begins picking up the scattered clothes, blushing at the evidence of their lack of control.  He wouldn’t have believed that any of this actually happened if he hadn’t woken up naked with her equally so beside him.

 

When she finally wakes up, she runs into the bathroom so quickly, he only hears the click of the door locking.

He steps up to the bathroom silently, listening for any telltale sobs.  He doesn’t hear anything. He’s nervous as all hell as he stands against the door.  “Uh…”  His voice dies in his throat, but he tries again.  “Hinata, I...um...I made breakfast for you, it’s not much or anything, it’s just toast and eggs, y’know, but uh...have some ‘cause you should try to get some food in you after last night...uh…”  He’s blushing.  “I mean, yeah, um, I...Hinata...um...I need to talk to you when you come out so...uh...yeah.  Yeah.  There’s toast out here and eggs if you want.”

 _Wow._  That had to be the most eloquent speech of his life.  He steps away from the door, wondering if she hates him even more now that she heard his voice.

“Okay.”

Her reply is quiet, but he freezes in rapt attention.

“Thank you.”

She _thanked_ him.  Maybe he isn’t damned to hell.  

 

The few minutes he spends waiting for her to emerge from his bathroom is the longest of his life.  When she finally appears, he’s glad to see her looking well-rested. Then he sees a dark hickey on her neck. He chokes.  He can’t remember what he wanted to say. “Hinata-”

She bows deeply to him.  “I am so sorry, Naruto-kun.  I am so ashamed of myself.  There is no excuse for my behavior last night.  Everything, everything, last night, I'm so sorry.  Making you stay out in the cold with me, too, I’m just so sorry.  I can’t believe myself.  I don’t know what was wrong with me."  Her apologies tumble out fast, and he can't get a word in edgewise.  "Even now, I’m being such an inconvenience to you.  You stayed here all morning just to make sure I was okay.  And last night, too, you brought me here and I...I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me to behave that way.”  

The profuse apologies sting.  He had known it, that the alcohol was what was making her act like that, but it feels worse than he expected to have his suspicions confirmed.  “Hinata…” He tries to not sound hurt. “Hinata, don’t apologize to me.”  He strides over to her and encourages her to raise her head.  He searches her opalescent eyes, and he remembers how she looked at him last night.  It hurts.  “I was the one who…”

Guilt.  Terrible guilt floods him.  

He continues, “Hinata, I knew you were drunk, and yet I took advantage of you, and I…”  The guilt is oppressive.  “I wasn’t drunk at all.  I don’t get drunk.  I just pretend and...I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time and I...fuck, Hinata, I’m sorry.”  He holds his head in his hand and runs it roughly through his hair.  He can’t look her in the eyes, too afraid of what he’ll see there.  Scorn?  Shock?  “I knew you didn’t mean any of it.  I knew you were just being silly and I knew you were drunk, but I…..”  He had taken everything she said to him to heart.  He really wanted to believe she thought everything she said about him.  “I’m sorry.”  His eyes suddenly widen in worry, and he finally looks at her.  “It wasn’t your first time, was it?  I mean…”

He notices now that she’s _red_.  A full-body blush.  

He thinks to ask her if she’s okay, but it doesn’t seem like the right question to ask.

“Ah…”  She fans herself with her hand to no avail and looks down at the floor.  She stays turned away, letting her bangs hide her face from him. “It was...my...first time…” she whispers so quietly, he almost doesn’t catch it.

He takes a moment to let the gravity of her words hit him.  “Oh.”  He thought just maybe it wasn’t.  He thought that… He’s starting to think that his thoughts don’t count for shit.  He takes a breath to keep himself from swearing.  He had been so rough with her.  He thinks she enjoyed it, he thinks she came, but he doesn’t know for sure, and he’s finding out that he can’t trust his own opinions concerning her.  “Gods, Hinata, if you hate me, if you don’t want to be around me...then I understand...I’m an awful friend and…”

She hums her disagreement.  She’s looking up at him with determination set in her eyes, though she’s still incredibly flushed.  “Naruto-kun, you’re a wonderful friend!  I was very inappropriate last night, but you were very…”  She reddens _even more_.  “Please don’t blame yourself so much, it was all my fault...um…”  Her gaze drops to the floor, and it seems like she has more to say.  “Um...if you…”  She brings her face up quickly.  “If you don’t mind-”

Loud knocking on his door interrupts her.  

Naruto searches his memory for who it might be.  He’s not scheduled for a mission until tomorrow--another orphanage visit.  He doesn’t have any sparring sessions with anyone for this morning, knowing that everyone might be hungover.

The knocking can only be described as angry.  

Naruto frowns, and Hinata looks concerned.  

“Let me go get that.”  He heads to the door quickly before it gets busted down.  He rules out Sakura. If it were her, it would already be broken.  He opens it cautiously.

It’s Kiba and Shino.  

“Uh,” he starts.

“I know she’s in there!  You said you would take her home!!”  Kiba’s voice echoes down the hall, and Naruto blushes at the announcement to all of the neighbors.  

“Well...y’know, Hinata last night, she was-”

“We were supposed to pick her up before heading to Kurenai-sensei’s place.”  Shino says this in his usual even tone, but somehow it sends chills up Naruto’s back.  

Hinata suddenly squeezes between Naruto and the door, pushing it open wider.  “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot!”

“Hinata!”  Kiba looks at her with shock.

Naruto whips to look at her in fear that Kiba saw her neck, but _thankfully_ , she somehow wrapped her scarf on in those few seconds.

Naruto can’t see Shino’s expression through the sunglasses and large coat, but he knows he’s getting scrutinized.  He knows he has guilt written all over his face.

Kiba eyes him with suspicion before glancing back at Hinata.  “This idiot didn’t do anything inappropriate to you, did he?”

She blushes and looks at him quickly, then turns back to Kiba.  “Naruto-kun was very kind to me last night. He accompanied me to Neji-niisan’s grave, and when I refused to go home, he brought me here for the night.”  She glances at Naruto again before continuing quietly, “He was very good to me last night.”

Naruto lets her words filter through his mind.  He considers for a moment that maybe she isn’t appalled with him, maybe she isn’t at all hurt by his actions.  He wonders at the depth of her kindness. She has always been understanding of him. “Do you have to go now?” He notices Kiba and Shino are staring at him, and he feels like maybe he said something weird.  “There’s food for you.” He shifts his attention suddenly to the boys in the hall. “I didn’t make anything for you guys! But you all can come in if you want.”

Her teammates are surprisingly quiet for a second, as if assessing them, before Kiba breaks the silence.  “Anything that you made is probably disgusting--I bet it’s instant ramen!” He grimaces. “No thanks to that.  We’ll be going first. We’ll meet you at Kurenai-sensei’s, Hinata.”

“It’s toast and eggs, actually!”  Naruto feels affronted. He’s not the best cook, but he knows he can’t serve instant ramen for breakfast to Hinata.  

“Probably still disgusting!” Kiba laughs as he turns.  

“Okay, I’ll see you two there.  I’m so sorry for causing both of you so much trouble.”  Hinata looks earnestly apologetic.

“Nah, it’s alright.”  Kiba’s grin suddenly appears teasing.  “Take your time.”

 

Feeling like he just dodged a kunai with an explosive tag attached, Naruto sits at his small dining table with Hinata.  It’s only then when their movement settles that it strikes him that it’s just the two of them now. He already ate, but he glugs a water down as she munches on the toast.    

Hinata breaks the awkward silence.  “Thank you for making me breakfast, Naruto-kun.  You really didn’t have to.”

“Oh, it’s nothing special.”  Naruto ducks his head in embarrassment.  “After what I...uh...did to you...last night, this is the least I can do.”  

“Oh no!”  She shakes her head.  “I invited myself over and…”  She blushes. “Forced myself on you.  You had to take care of me all night. This morning, too.”  

Awkward silence pervades the air again as they analyze each other’s apologies.  

“Ah, well…”  Naruto’s blushing furiously, and he looks at Hinata with self-consciousness.  He’s not sure it’s okay for him to say what he’s about to say, but he continues, “having you over last night wasn’t a problem at all, I…”  He rubs his hand over his burning face and closes his eyes. “I just couldn’t stop myself, you felt really good.” He opens his eyes, grimacing.  “I mean, that’s no excuse, not at all, I mean, that and not getting enough sleep and with you being drunk...aw man...last night was crazy.”

She nods, furiously blushing.  “I’ll never drink that much again.”

“Yeah, you said you had four drinks last night, right?”

Her eyes turn up toward him.  “They only had 3% alcohol, though.  I didn’t think I’d get so affected.”

“Only 3%?”  He stares at her.  She is a super lightweight, but that explains why she remembers everything and isn’t hungover.  “Do you remember that you were about to undress in front of me, in the _freezing snow_?  Geez, Hinata, I’m afraid to know what would happen if you have harder drinks...”  

“Ahhhh, I know, I know, don’t speak of it!…”

She looks embarrassed, but not upset, and Naruto feels like they’re somewhat back on familiar ground.  Maybe they can still be friends. “So...Hinata...I just wanted to know...if you think…” He looks at her with apprehension.  “We can still be friends? You’re a really important friend to me, and as stupid and wrong as I was and, well, _am_ , I don’t want what happened to...get between us…”

Hinata’s eyes widen.  “Oh, Naruto-kun, I…” She nods her head.  “You’ll still be my friend, even after how I acted last night?”  

Naruto breaks into a relieved smile.  “You were just drunk, Hinata. You didn’t do anything wrong...so, we’re still friends?”

She nods, looking relieved herself.  After a moment, she stands up. “I better get going.  Kurenai-sensei and everyone are waiting for me.”

“Alright.  Take care, okay?”

“You, too, Naruto-kun.”

He follows her to the door, where she pulls her sweater and coat on.  “Hinata.”

She turns to look at him.

“Um.”  He scratches the back of his neck.  “If you ever don’t want to stay home...you’re always welcome here...I mean, I won’t do anything to you, I swear it!  Just, know that I don’t mind.”

She gazes at him and nods.  “Thank you,” she whispers.

 

When she leaves, he’s alone.  And he doesn’t see her for the rest of the day.  

At night, she doesn’t come over, but he can sense her chakra signature at the compound.  And he remembers how soft she felt in his hands and against his lips. How her moans and gasps of his name sounded in his ears.  How her tight, wet body felt around him as he worked himself into her.

He stands in his shower, panting as he watches his release drain away from the tiles, the guilt of his consciousness weighing on him heavily.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Naruto I'll be trying to portray here will be very slow to understand love and generally feeling undeserving of romantic love. I'm hoping to convey, though, that he actually understands more than he lets on to others and even to himself.  
> Anyway, more smut on the way. This story is hardly plot :)
> 
> *3/22/19 Added note, since I got a lot of questions on this later on: Hinata's "chakra-con" is short for the "contraceptive" or birth "control" that all kunoichi usually opt to wear. Its use and term are so prevalent, similar to how familiar "The Pill" is, that even Naruto recognizes what it means.*  
> Now please read on without worry!


	4. Night Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More flirting and smut ;)  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina!

He layers the strips of meat over the grill, watching them curl and brown.  It’s a skill, an art form really, to be able to fit every nook and cranny with enough meat for a table of hungry shinobi.  He volunteered to be in charge of the yakiniku, not because he likes to cook, but because he wanted an excuse from looking up.  And looking at her.

She’s sitting right across from him (the gods hate him, he’s sure that this is karmic retribution), and she’s looking just as attractive as usual.  It’s a discomforting fact, considering how he hasn’t really been able to stop thinking about _that_ night.  

The mission to the orphanage was lucky.  It’s hard to get...hard...when you’re surrounded by kids all day and night.  

But seeing her the day after returning to the village--he’s just not ready for this (talking to her and, well, looking at her).  He mentally prepped beforehand, saying that he’d be his normal funny and cool self around her, and that the past is in the past, but, wow, the past sure has a way of feeling extremely present.  

His shame doesn’t stop him from listening to her, though.

“Lee-kun and Tenten-chan are actually on a mission right now because a merchant cart got attacked by bandits.”  

Just her voice is attractive.  It sounds better breathless around his name.  He blushes and focuses his hardest on the grill.

“I hate winter time.  You’d think it’d be too cold for people to go out, do crime, or get into trouble, but, noooo, people seem to always think this is the perfect time.”  Sakura is obviously pissed off. She was saying earlier that she was hoping to talk to Tenten tonight about different types of sealing scrolls for the medic-nin program.

“The reason is people are desperate for food or gifts for the Rinne Festival,” Shino explains.

“Screw the Rinne Festival.  Last year, we got so many people at the hospital for alcohol poisoning.”  Sakura rolls her eyes. “And this one gets a big head from all the gifts he gets.”

Naruto raises his eyes from the grill and squints at the pinkette.  “You talking about me?”

“Duh!”

“I do _not_ get a big head!  I’m not asking them for presents!”  He feels even more offended because no one’s agreeing with him.  Ino and Kiba are laughing. Shikamaru is smirking. Choji is busy eating.

“What do they even give you?” Ino asks.

“Uh…”  Naruto notices that everyone goes a bit quiet.  They’re all curious. The problem is, he’s not. He shrugs, returning his attention to the meats.  “Y’know, water bottles, kunai, and stuff.” He doesn’t know for sure. He hasn’t opened any yet.

They nod, seemingly satisfied with his answer.  The conversation shifts, and he’s glad for it.

“Um, Naruto-kun?”

He blushes again and tries to stop himself from frowning at his own reaction when all she said was his name.  “Yeah?”

“You’ve been cooking and haven’t gotten to eat a lot.  Would you like me to take over?”

He meets her eyes, and her skin glows perfectly in the restaurant’s dim lighting.  “Oh, uh, ‘kay, thanks.” He hands the tongs over to her and attempts to relax into the bench cushion.  Averting his gaze to the ceiling, he takes a gulp of his beer, feeling the burn of it down his throat. The stuff doesn’t taste good.  He doesn’t really get anything out of drinking it. He drinks it anyway. He thinks one day maybe it’ll work.

 

“I vote Sakura,” Ino looks gleeful in her assessment.

“What the hell, it’s not me!!”  

“You work in a hospital, you must see naked people all the time.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make me the biggest pervert!”

 _The fuck is up with this conversation_ , Naruto wonders.  Everyone’s tipsy. It’s ultimately Sai’s fault, though.  He asked something awkward, and it devolved into _this_.

“If anyone, I bet it’s Naruto!” Sakura continues.  “He used to peek at the women’s bath!”

“The keyword is _used to_ , Sakura-chan!  I needed to know for my Sexy Jutsu to prank the senseis!  If anyone, I vote Hinata.”

Hinata looks absolutely shocked and a little scared.  

“Bahaa!”  Kiba bursts out laughing.  “What the hell?!”

Naruto realizes too late why she would look scared.  Before she can misunderstand him, he continues, “It’s those Byakugan eyes.  No one knows what they can really see when she activates them.”

“Ohhhhhh.”  Ino and Sakura turn to look at her with great interest as the rest of the table breaks into laughter.

“Whaaaa??  That...nooo.”  She’s shaking her head so much, he’s worried she’ll get a headache.  “That’s not what they’re for!” she cries out in panic.

“She doesn’t deny that she can see things,” Naruto calmly observes.  

“Hinata, what can you see??  You can tell us, we won’t spill your secrets!”  Ino urges with a raised brow and a catty grin. They’re all fully aware that Hinata can’t actually tell them anything.

Hinata covers her face, and Naruto feels only a little bad for teasing her.  When she emerges from her hands, she’s looking at Shikamaru.

The Nara’s eyes widen in concern.

“Shikamaru-kun is the only one with a girlfriend,” Hinata says with a small smile of seeming innocence.   

“We’re not doing anything.”

“It’s like he just confessed to it,” Sakura says evilly.

With the attention off of her, Hinata relaxes considerably.  She locks eyes with Naruto, then, and he freezes, thinking he was caught staring at her.  Instead, she deeply frowns at him.

Sharp pain erupts on his leg.  Someone kicked his shin. “Ow!”  He looks down and then back up at her, only to see Hinata smiling in her quiet way, like she could be found of no wrongdoing.  “Hinata!”

“Yes, Naruto-kun?”

“You kicked me!”

She shakes her head gently.  Her eyes are wide with childlike innocence.  “...No, I didn’t.”

He squints at her and tries to turn his mouth into a frown.  He stares at her for a second longer, and she holds the expression.  “Oh really.”

She nods her head slowly, still looking the part of an angel.

Naruto lets his gaze shift away, and he swings his foot at her under the table.

“Ah!”

“What?”  Now it’s his turn to look confused.

“Naruto-kun!”

“What is it?”  He’s having a hard time holding his expression with the way she’s glaring at him.  It’s almost too funny. Until he feels her kick at him again. “Hey!”

Pretty soon, their feet are in a battle of their own, and their fighting draws the attention of their teammates around them.  

“What’s wrong with you guys?” Sakura asks.

“Stop it already, Naruto-kun!” Hinata cries.  

Naruto notices that she’s pouting and trying to look angry, but her eyes are alive with mirth.  He knows he probably looks the same. “You stop it. You started it!”   _Kick, kick_.

She hums a firm disagreement.  “You’re the one who started it.”   _Kick, kick_.

“You’re the one!  Who knew you were so violent!” _Kick, kick._

“Nooo!  Well...you weren’t supposed to kick back!”   _Kick, kick._

“What’s that supposed to mean?”   _Kick, kick._

“Naruto, are you being mean to Hinata?!”  Sakura hugs her protectively.

“No, she started it!”

“You can’t be mean to Hinata, even if she started it!” Ino defends.

“Yeah, Naruto, you can’t be mean to Hinata!” Kiba repeats.

Shino and Choji nod.

“What?” Naruto asks, but he knows what they mean.  It’s _Hinata._

“A man is not supposed to harm a lady,” Sai helpfully informs him.

“Hinata’s a strong shinobi!  She can handle it!” Naruto tries to argue.  

Hinata has a smile on her face that he would call smug on any other person.  

“It’s Hinata, though, Naruto!  You can’t be mean to Hinata!” Ino scolds.

Naruto wants to argue the point, but he knows he can’t.  It’s _Hinata_ , after all.  Childishly, though, he repeats, “She started it.”

“Whatever she started, you probably deserved it.”  Sakura looks at him meaningfully, as if he always deserved getting hit.  

“Psshh whatever.  We were just playing.”  He pouts and notices how pleased Hinata looks.  He sticks his tongue out at her, and she giggles.

“Gods, Naruto, you’re such a child.”  Sakura rolls her eyes.

The conversation turns again, but he can’t help glancing at Hinata, who is also listening quietly to their friends’ banter.  He notices that she glances at him, too, with playful eyes, and it sets a dangerous reminder in his memory of _another_ night.

 

And it might be because of that look on her face that he hangs around her as they leave the restaurant and head onto the frozen streets.  Secretly, he hopes she’ll come home with him. _Not to do anything.  Just to talk more_ , he firmly emphasizes.  

“This was lots of fun!  Let’s do this again sometime!”  Sakura rubs her gloved hands together and exhales warm air on them.  

As everyone gives their goodbyes, Naruto decides to broach the topic first.  “Hinata,” he begins so that only she can hear him. “How’ve you been?”

She doesn’t really answer him.  Her eyes focus on her mittened hands, squeezing together for warmth, before looking up at him, her lips pressed thin and curved up at the corners.  A smile that doesn’t even reach her cheeks.

“Do you want to come over for a bit.  Just to talk?”

She seems to search his face for a second, and he makes sure to keep his expression as open as possible.  She nods.

“Hinata, you want one of us to walk you home?” Kiba calls out.

“Oh, I’ll be okay tonight.  I didn’t drink very much. Thank you, though!” Hinata replies with a grateful smile.

Kiba nods and his eyes shift toward Naruto.  

Naruto notices the stare and doesn’t know what to make of it.  Hinata didn’t tell Kiba about coming over to his place tonight, so he’s not going to mention it.  It doesn’t have to be a secret, so why does it feel like one?

He directs a grin at Kiba and then at everyone else.  “See you guys around!  That was some good food!”

Hinata calls a quiet, “Thank you, everyone!” and turns with Naruto.

They make a few steps away from the disbursing group before Shino’s voice stops them.  “Naruto.  Are you taking Hinata home?”

He glances over his shoulder at a few of his friends who haven’t quite left, yet.  The two of them are getting some curious looks, and he realizes how suspicious it seems for him to be leaving with her.  “Uh, yeah.”  He glances at Hinata, who pauses before nodding in agreement.  “Yeah, I’m taking her home.”  Except they aren’t heading West toward the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

He knows he’s getting some hard looks from his remaining friends, but he shines a disarming grin.  “We’ll see you guys later!  Get home safely!”

Hinata smiles, too, and they head off again.

They walk through the quiet streets together, and Naruto suddenly starts to remember some things about _that night_ he knows he shouldn’t think about.  Interrupting his own thoughts, he begins talking.  “So you know how for the past week I went to that orphanage again?”  

Hinata smiles and nods.  

He talks the whole way, recounting how much the 2-year olds have grown since the last time he saw them, the number of diapers he had to change, and all of the bottles he had to warm for the infants.  And before he realizes it, they’re walking the steps to his apartment.

“It sounds like you’d be a good father,” Hinata whispers in the hallway.

“I’d be the best dang father out there after these missions,” Naruto whispers back jokingly.  He unlocks and pushes his door open, and panics upon seeing gifts from his fans piled against the wall, unopened.  He forgot about those. Even though he got them all last night upon his return and today.

Hinata notices them, too.  

“Uh…”  Naruto looks at the pile, at Hinata, at the pile again, and nervously chuckles.  “Just ignore those.” That’s what he kinda does.

Hinata nods.

But as they take a seat under his kotatsu, he knows the pile is impossible to ignore.  

It seems Hinata feels the same.  “...What do you think is in there?”  She gestures at a particularly large present.

He bites his lip.  He kind of doesn’t want to know.  Last year, he opened all of his presents because he felt bad if he didn’t.  Some of the gifts were...creepy. He scratches the back of his neck.  “I don’t know.”

“You really...get a lot...” she comments.

“Honestly, it’s too much...Last year, it took me over a month to unwrap them all.  I put mostly everything into storage.  That took another month to organize.  I don’t know what to do with it all…”  Naruto eyes the gifts.  He feels exhausted just thinking about it.

She nods in understanding.  After a long, silent pause, Hinata glances at him.  “...I could help you unwrap them?”

Naruto considers the offer.  He doesn’t want her to see all of the weird things he gets.  But it would help out a lot.  And it would distract him from other thoughts.  “I...I would really appreciate the help, Hinata.”

They set to work on the gifts.  Hinata opens a medium-sized box.  She pulls out a stuffed animal fox.  “Ohh, this is cute!”

Naruto smiles.  He has a whole box in storage of foxes.  He opens his box.  It’s panties.  Used.  He quickly closes it.  And puts it on the side.  Hopefully that’s the only one.  Usually his gifts are not that gross.

Hinata opens another box and pulls out new kunai.  She hands the envelopes to him, saying that she shouldn’t read them.  He appreciates that discerning part of her.

Because he hates the envelopes.  He doesn’t know what to expect from them.  Sometimes it’s ramen coupons, which he appreciates.  Sometimes it’s long letters that describe how much they like him, which he doesn’t know what to do with (neither throwing them away nor keeping them feels right).  And sometimes it’s pictures he would rather never see again. He crushes those and throws it in the rubbish can.

The first time he did that, Hinata gave him a startled look that also seemed to say “explain.”  

“I didn’t tell you guys at the restaurant, but...I get some very...uh...I get some pictures that...are not very…”  He’s grasping for the appropriate vocabulary.  He wishes Hinata would drop it, but she’s a patient person.  “Uh...no clothes on?” he tries.  

“Oh,” she voices quietly.  “And you throw them away?” There’s the smallest trace of surprise in her tone.

He nods with a look that he hopes communicates that he would never have any intention of keeping them.  Despite what others think of him, he’s not really all that perverted.  It’s disappointing to see that maybe Hinata thought that way of him, too.  

She smiles slightly and goes back to opening presents.

With each box she opens, he holds his breath, hoping it’s not a weird one.  She starts organizing piles of fox plushies, ramen coupons, chopsticks, kunai, ninja stars, and scrolls.  But it was only a matter of time.

She lifts the lid of a box.  “Oh...oh my,” she verbalizes.

“...what is it?” he asks cautiously.     

“It’s…”  She pushes it toward him.  

He grimaces in fear and looks in the box.  It’s a homemade video with a title that leaves little mystery as to what it’s about.  “I’m sorry you had to see this, Hinata.”  He throws it away.  He decides then, now that she knows anyway, to throw the box with the panties in them away, too.

“You have some very...creative...fans,” Hinata comments.

He doesn’t say anything to that.  

It’s as if the worst ones were waiting to be picked out of the second half.  Hinata and Naruto start making a guessing game out of it.

“It’s the large box.  I bet you it’s something weird,” Naruto says.

She unwraps it.  “It’s just baked goods.”

“...Don’t eat them.”  

“Poison?” she wonders aloud.

“Last year, it was something like that.  Kurama helped me out, so I never figured out what the effects were.”  

“...I see...”  Hinata throws it away.

She moves onto another box.  She breaks into quiet giggles.  

He cautiously smiles at the sound of her laughter.  “What is it?”

“I-I don’t think you can fit these, Naruto-kun!”  She giggles harder and flings the G-string at him.  

“Ack!  Hinata!”

She’s giggling nonstop.  “That’s for calling me a pervert at the restaurant!”

“You already kicked me in the shin for that!”  He throws it back at her.

“Gahh!” she screams and blocks it from hitting her face with her arm.  She’s still giggling and throws it back at him.  “Here! Here’s the letter!”  She tosses the accompanying envelope at him, too.

“Ooh no, I ain’t opening that.”  He tosses them both back at Hinata.

“You know you want to read it!”  She giggles and throws them back at him.  The wrapping paper and box, too.

“You’re a little devil, Hyuuga Hinata, you know that?”

She breaks into more laughter and shakes her head.  She calms herself quickly and looks at him with wide, innocent eyes.  “Oh no, not me.”

He scrunches a disapproving smile at her.  “If they only knew...” he dramatically entones.  Shaking his head, he holds up the letter for her to clearly see.  “I am _not_ opening this.”  He dumps it and everything else in the rubbish.

“...A maiden’s heart somewhere just shattered,” Hinata narrates quietly.

Naruto looks at her like he can’t _believe_ her.  “Did you take a bite of those baked goods?  Are you on something ‘cause you are definitely not the Hinata I know.”

She stifles a small laugh.  “What is the Hinata you know like?”

“I dunno, sweet and nice.  Not this Hinata, who throws panties at me and kicks my shin.”

Hinata smiles sneakily at him.  “Well the Naruto-kun I know wouldn’t have called me a pervert in front of everyone.”

“Well the Hinata that _I_ know wouldn’t have started undressing in the street while drunk!”

Hinata looks scandalized.  Her mouth drops open.

Naruto wonders if that night is a taboo topic, never to be mentioned again.  It probably was supposed to be.  He got carried away.

Hinata recovers from her shock.  “Well the Naruto-kun that I know wouldn’t pretend to be drunk and fool all his friends into thinking he’s just as drunk as them!”

“Well the Hinata that I know…”  Naruto lifts a finger at her and points at her meaningfully.  His brain had crossed into dangerous territory, but he pulls himself out of it.  “It sounds like you don’t know this ‘Naruto-kun’ very well,” he ends with finality.  He crosses his arms.

Hinata giggles at hearing Naruto call himself “Naruto-kun.”  “And it sounds like you don’t know this Hinata very well,” she adds.  She looks at him with a challenge in her eyes, and he feels the intense desire to meet it.

“Actually…”  He pauses for dramatic effect.  He looks her up and down.  “I think I know this Hinata very well.”  

Her smile freezes, falls, and her skin blooms into color.  “Na-Na-Na…” She drops her face in her hands. “NARUTO-KUN!” she shrieks into her palms.  

He stops to think of what he just implied.  She can’t see it, but he’s blushing madly, too.  He didn’t mean it that way, or did he?  He doesn’t know what to do.  He can’t take his words back. So in true Naruto-fashion, he decides to make the situation worse.  “They don’t know the real Hinata like I do!” he boasts.  “This Hinata will cry outside on the coldest night of the season and make a guy feel so bad for her, he’ll take her home.  And then she seduces him and makes him take care of her all night.  And does he get any thanks?  No! She eats his food, leaves him, and when she sees him again, abuses him and throws used underwears at him!”  

Hinata is so shocked, she freaks out in her quiet way that only she’s capable of.  “Ahhhh!!  Noooo!!  Naruto-kuuun!!!”  Her hands hover in front of her face to hide her severe embarrassment.  “Noooooo!!!!!!!!”  Her little screams are small and high-pitched, and he wonders if he broke her.

He holds back chuckles of amusement.  

Eventually Hinata calms when she realizes the verbal attack is over.  She glares at him as if to kill.  “Well they don’t know the Naruto-kun that I know... This Naruto-kun will pretend to get drunk, then tease and take advantage of his drunk friends to win at party games!  Then he acts like a gentlemen, warning about perverts!  And...guess what he does next?  He takes her to his place and takes her virginity!  Then he leaves her for a week, and what does he do when he returns?  Calls _her_ the pervert, kicks her, and takes her back to his place...again!”

 _Oh gods._  This sounds so much worse.  Because it is.  Naruto closes his eyes and covers his face with one hand.  She doesn’t even know how he masturbated to the memory the night after and last night, too.  He ponders his intentions with her tonight.  Are they all honorable?  Isn’t he hoping for something more?  Or is he just lonely and wants to have her company?

“Naruto-kun?”

He drags his hand over his closed eyes.  “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“Naruto-kun, I’m not actually mad about it.”  

He wonders about that.  Because she sounded pretty serious in the retell.  And it was pretty accurate.

“Naruto-kun, I consented to all of it...You asked me many times if I wanted to do it, and I said yes.  I was drunk, but I know I said I wanted to do it.”

He finally opens his eyes to look at her.  It’s a piece of the memory that he really gets off on, actually.  Just remembering her emphatic permission arouses him.  He tries to temper his blush.

“Truly, Naruto-kun.  As embarrassed as I am about that night...I don’t regret it.”

This causes Naruto to blink in surprise. _She doesn’t regret it?_   

She seems to notice his surprise because she nods her head.  “...You’re really good to me, Naruto-kun.  You’re really nice to me, and I admire you.”  She blushes.

“Everyone’s nice to you, Hinata.  Just because I’m nice to you doesn’t give me the right to use you.”

“You didn’t use me!  And even if you did...I used you just as much...you took care of me that night.”

Naruto takes a deep breath.  “You’re not just saying this to make me feel better, right?”

She shakes her head.  She takes a long look at him before asking, “Do you regret it?”  Her question is quiet and low, and she bites her lips nervously.

He’s stunned by the question because of course he regrets it!  He took her first time while she was drunk, consent be damned.  But does regret stop him from wanting to do her again?  Well, that’s another problematic question… “I regret it, Hinata.”  He sees her deflate, and it makes him wonder.  “Not...because of you.  You were...amazing...but I regret it because you were drunk, and I wasn’t.  I was just...lonely, which isn’t a good excuse at all.”

Hinata blushes and looks down.  She mutters something he can’t hear.

He leans closer to her.  “What did you say?” he asks gently.

“Did you like it?”

He wonders if he heard her right.  “Hm?”

“Did you...” she repeats for a third time.  She looks up, face red.  “Did you like it?”

He jerks back and stares at her.  Adrenaline pumps through his blood in a rush.  Did he like it?  He did.  He nods dumbly.  “Did you?” he asks quietly.  He waits with trepidation for her answer.  He realizes it’s imperative that he know the answer to this question.

She averts her eyes.  She glances back at him a couple of times, lingering on the last look, and he can feel his face grow hotter.  

He feels aware of his body, of his physicality beneath her gaze.  

She nods with an embarrassed, tiny smile.  “You made me feel really good.”

His body feels hot.  He can feel himself growing hard with the topic of their discussion.  “...I did?”

She shyly nods again.  

He shifts his position, glad that the table is covering his gradual arousal.  “I’m glad...”  He glances at her and takes in her flushed appearance.  He sees her, but his mind wanders to dangerous territory.  “...You felt really good, Hinata.”  He can remember how soft her skin was.  He can remember how close they were.

“Oh…”  She’s blushing, fidgeting under his gaze.  “You felt good, too.”  Her voice is breathy soft.  

Naruto feels tense, like a coil ready to spring.  Her clouded eyes turn hooded, and all he wants is to kiss her.  Kiss her until they’re both messed up.

“Naruto-kun…”  

His name sounds like a sin from her voice.

“I’m not drunk now…..”  She glances at him demurely.  “So..if you...want…”  She blushes deeply, and her voice trails off.

He wants to.  “...Do you want to?” he asks.  

She looks surprised by his question, blushes more, and her shoulders rise in discomfort.  She looks at him through her lashes.  “If Naruto-kun wants to, then…”

He realizes she won’t give him a straight answer.  Not like last time when she was drunk.  He moves close to her.  

She tenses, but she doesn’t move away.  

If he just leans in, he would be able to kiss her.  He asks lowly, “Do you want to?”

“...If Naruto-kun wants to,” she repeats, her voice is nothing but a breath on his skin, and her eyes are lowered.  He knows she’s looking at his lips.

It’s invitation enough.  He kisses her.

Her moan is almost immediate.

It sets him on fire.  He groans in reply and gathers her in his hands.  He wanted this so much.  Lust clouds his mind as he pushes his tongue into her mouth, and her tongue meets his eagerly.

She leans against his chest and moves her arms onto his shoulders to clasp around his neck.

This.  He missed this so much.  “Mm, Hinata…” he exhales.  He engages her in another long kiss before she can voice his name in return.  His hands busy themselves with her body, clasping and running down her back and sides, grabbing to find different holds, each one perfect in his arms.  She fits so nicely against him.

Her tongue continualy flicks and strokes his.  Little sounds mewl out of her and encourage him to kiss her harder.

He pulls away from her to meet her lidded gaze before pressing kisses down her neck.  He breathes against her skin and feels her shiver in his arms.  He starts sucking gently.  The mark he had left before is gone.  He’s going to intentionally leave one this time.

She gasps and calls breathlessly, “Naruto-kuun.”

He missed this.  He pinches her smooth skin with his lips, sucks, licks the reddening spot, and sucks harder.  Her skin bruises quickly, easily marked.  He finds a new spot to impress his desire and sucks her there, too.  He licks the marks sensually, finding satisfaction in his work, before trailing wet kisses back up her neck.

She shivers and squirms in his arms.  When he finds her lips again, the force of her kiss is deeper, needier.  

He wants more.  He palms her breasts and pulls on her shirt.  He wants the damn thing off, but she’s not drunk.  Impatient, he slides her sleeve down.  The elastic of the neckline stretches.  He pulls the bra strap down, too.

Full, white skin reveals itself slowly to his hungry gaze.  She squirms under his eyes and lets out a heavy breath.

He bends lower and kisses the top of her breast.  He licks what he can of her bare skin and massages her.  He wants more.  He wants to see her curved peaks, rounded and pert.  He wants to feel them stiffen against his tongue.  He pulls at her shirt as if to rip it.

“N-Naruto-kun, wait!”

Waiting is the last thing he wants to do, but he reigns himself in.  He’s surprised at how antsy he feels, how anxious and disappointed he is to have to stop.  

She blushes under his intense gaze and pulls her blouse off.  

Relief slams his heart, followed by mouthwatering craving.  He imagined her breasts many times after seeing them over a week ago.  Getting to actually see them again is something he hadn’t been counting on.  He pulls the cup down, stretching the strap, and bends down to take her nipple.  He licks her relentlessly, then pulls at the hardened nub between his lips.

“Naruto-kun!”  Hinata cries.  She pushes his head away.  “W-wait!”

He smirks upon seeing her.  

Her eyes are hazy, her mouth is permanently open, gasping, and her cheeks are flushed a pretty pink as she shrugs the straps off and unclasps the back.  

 _I can’t wait, Hinata._  He pulls the bra out of her hands and tosses it to the ground.  He grabs at her and kisses the other side.  He licks, nips, and sucks on her.  He lifts himself again to look at her as he pinches and tugs at her nipples.

“Ahh...ah...”

He licks at her lips, and she moves forward to kiss him, but he refuses her the satisfaction.  He drops his head back down and sucks her breast.

“Naruto-kuuun!” she calls, sounding frustrated.

He massages her, marvelling at the way she fills his hands so softly.  He draws kisses back up her body and finally meets her lips again.

She seems to melt into him, and he realizes he still has his shirt on.  

That won’t do.  He needs to feel her.  He pulls his own shirt off.  He smiles again, seeing Hinata’s eyes widen.  He waits for her hands, which slowly come up to lightly caress his muscles.  He watches her with apparent lust as her fingers dance over his heated skin.  “Hinata, do you want to?”  He repeats the question from earlier.

She immediately seems to draw into herself, but her hand nervously rubs at his bicep.  “Um…”  She flickers her eyes at Naruto’s before drawing her gaze away again.  “Um…”  She watches his mucle flex beneath her hand, her eyes widening. 

Whatever encouragement she needs.

“If...if you want to…”

That answer again.  He’s restless and impatient, but he doesn’t want to force her to go that far with him.  He pulls her close again and kisses her.  He lets his hand wander down, grasping at her breast, then across her back.  He palms her ass and squeezes it.

She wiggles into him.

Doesn’t she want to?  He kisses her harder and squeezes her.  Her boobs feel wonderful against his chest.  She’s so close, her hip presses into his erection, and it makes him want to go crazy on her.  He breaks the kiss and gasps into the air.  He holds her close.  “Hinata, I want you.  Just tell me.  Just tell me if you want to, too.”

She breathes heavily against his chest.  Her hand squeezes his bicep.  “I..I want to, Naruto-kun.”

He opens his eyes and gazes at the ceiling for a second.  He can’t last like this.  He’s wound up, fit to burst with lust.  He makes to stand and brings her up with him.  “C’mon.”  He leads her to his bedroom.  His heart is pounding.  He undresses and can see her undressing, too.

Smoothly sloping shoulders lead to soft, tantalizing breasts that curve into a deep waistline and lean muscles.  Smooth stomach flares into rounded hips and thick thighs he wants to feel clamped around his waist.

He closes the distance and hugs her, relishing the feeling of her body against him.

She draws her arms around his shoulders again and tiptoes.  She fits his erection between her legs as she kisses him softly.

He can feel how wet she is.  Involuntarily, he moves his hips, sliding her arousal on him.  He shudders at the feeling.  He wants to be inside her.  Grasping her close, he walks her to his bed, kissing her and sucking on her lips.  

She hits the bed and falls weakly against it.  She adjusts herself and opens her legs to him.

Anticipation shoots through him as he stands above her.  He can’t wait another second.  He had been imagining this in any down time he had.

He’s pushing into her before anything else registers.  Her body flexes beneath him, and he presses onward.

“Ooooh...Naruto-kun…” she breathes.

She’s tight, wet, soft, sexy.  

So much better than his hand and memory.  

He draws out and pushes back into her, the plush heat around him almost more than he can stand. 

He lets out a moan.  

This.  He wanted this so badly. 

He thrusts back into her again and groans.  Again and again, his member moving through her, parting her velvet clutch snugly.  “...Hinata...ugh...oh...”  He’s pulling out and pushing into her repeatedly, forcefully, and he can’t stop.  “So good so tight...so...”  Delirium sweeps through him, and he can only focus on the pleasure radiating from his dick and seizing his heart.  “Hinata…”  He presses open-mouthed kisses against her lips while his pelvis continues to rock into her. 

He’s painfully hard inside her soft folds.  

He just wants to get harder for her. 

Go deeper in her. 

He wants to lose himself inside of her.  She’s amazing.  “Hinata…” 

“Naruto-kun…...”

He groans.  He buries his face into her neck and sucks and kisses her there desperately.  He shoves himself into her, feeling her body nudge up at his face with each heavy thrust.  

He pauses, balls-deep, for a moment to suck at her breasts.  He licks them and squeezes them in his hand.  He pulls each nipple up with his lips, earning him sultry moans from the girl beneath him.  He still can’t believe such delicious boobs are on a girl like Hinata.  

Having held off on his pleasure long enough, he frantically pounds into her again. 

Ecstasy flies through him. 

His rapid thrusts make his bed squeak and groan, the sound of their skin patting together is erotic, the sight of her breasts shaking, his chest pressing down and rubbing on her hardened nipples, all of it just turns him on even more.  He grabs at her smooth, wide hips to keep her from moving away and relentlessly, rigorously, works himself into her.

Her hands grip at his muscles and run through his hair.  Her quiet screams fill his mind, and he wants her to lose herself on him.  Her voice around his name is a sweet poison, an alcohol he is sure even his beast’s chakra can’t contain.  He could get drunk on her. 

He already is. 

He wants to mess her up and sex her all night.

He furiously drives his thick member into her, her tight hole massaging each rough pass of his rigid length.  “Ugh.  Hinata...oh...Hinata…”  He’s getting close, the promise of euphoria enticing him and forcing him to slow down.  He rotates his hips and kisses her. 

She sucks a little on his lips.

His eyes roll in lustful desire and he can’t hold himself back a second longer.  He thrusts into her heavily and deeply.  “Hinata, I’m gonna come,” he hoarsely warns.  

He hears her moan in response.  

He pounds into her rapidly and aggressively, building himself up to the pinnacle of pleasure.  He squeezes his eyes shut and drives as desperately as he can into the momentous storm of ecstasy.  The electrifying current surges through him, and he lets out a shout of release, ejaculating mid-thrust before shoving himself into her powerfully.  He can feel his cum shooting out of him in vigorous spurts and he grinds himself against her as deeply as possible, making sure to coat and fill her up with his essence.  

He’s barely basking in the post-orgasmic relief when she holds him close, and he can hear her breaths grow labored.  “Ah..ahh...ah!..Naruto-kun!..ahh...ahh!...”  She grips him closer and she folds around him.  Her scream is silent.

“Oh....”  He blushes, feeling her small passage squeeze his sensitive member tightly.  He can feel her high pulsating around him, wetting him even more.

Her breath returns, exhaling in quick pants.         

She got off on feeling him come.  The thought swells his ego and he lifts his head to look at her exhausted face.

Her eyes glow up at him, and her breath is warm.

He kisses her softly.  Exhaustion weakens his bones and muscles, and he breaks the kiss to breathe heavily against her.  

She’s amazing. 

He’s so tired.

 

 

When he wakes, the first thing he realizes is she’s not there.  He sits up, alarmed.

The room is bathed in pre-dawn blue.  She’s still here.  He can feel it.

He dashes butt-naked into the living room, where she’s already dressed.  The night before feels like nothing but a dream.

She’s pulling her coat on, and she looks at him in surprise.  She blushes.

“Where are you going?”  He tries not to sound hurt.

“I got called for a mission.”

“Just now?”

“Yes…”  

That means an Anbu was at his door.  Knowing Hinata was here.  Disturbing, but to be expected.  “I’ll see you when you come back?”

She nods with a small smile.

And before he can think of anything else to say to her, she’s gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be a little hotter... :)


	5. After Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flirting and smut x)  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina.

He knows she’s back.  She’s been back for the past two nights, but he hasn’t seen her.  A part of him is telling him that it’s the cold weather--no one goes outside anyway.  But a more worried part tells him that she’s avoiding him.

And why would she want to see him?  He told her she could come over and that he wouldn’t do anything to her, that they could just talk.   _Hah...just talk_.  He realizes that he probably had no intention of just talking to her.  When he got his hands and lips on her again, he was like a man dying of hunger.  He had fucked her like there was no tomorrow, with hardly any restraint.  And what’s worse, he thinks if he does see her again, he thinks if she ever comes over again, it would probably go the same way.

Because this is what he’s like.  He stands in his shower jerking himself off.  Ever since he found out that sex _exhausts_ him and gives him better sleep than anything, he doesn’t try to stop his lustful desires.  It begins with a memory of her, and then it morphs with his imagination. He wouldn’t mind seeing her ride him.  He’d like it a lot.  He’d like it a lot if she came over, hot and bothered.  If she threw herself into his arms, saying she missed him and wants him.  He’d really like it if she spread her legs over his hips and rode him to oblivion.  He’d like that.  He’d really like that.  “Ah...”   _Hinata..._  He leans against the tiled wall, rubbing himself, wishing it was her, instead.

Release comes, and he stands panting by himself.  He cleans up and gets out.  That was his second time for the night.  He’s not counting for the past four days.  That would depress him.  He collapses into bed and waits for sleep to carry him away.

 

When he wakes, the silence is numbing.  Winter is a quiet season.  It steals over his apartment building, freezing everything along with it.  Including his spirit.  He managed to sleep a couple hours more than usual, so why does he feel so pathetically melodramatic?

He sits at his dining table, staring at the pile of presents that only got larger over the past few days.  Untouched since _that second night_.  The rubbish bag is still there, too.  The baked goods are probably moldy.  Those damned panties are in there, too.  An image of Hinata wearing a G-string enters his mind.  That would be hot and completely impossible.  He hates himself for even thinking it.

A knock interrupts his self-loathing.  Recently, he hates a lot of things.  He hates long nights, empty mornings, random visitors (he doesn’t know if they’re fangirls).  He hates that he hates things.  He mostly hates how lonely he feels.  Switching that part of his brain off, he gets up and answers the door.

“Hinata!”

“Hi.”  She looks like an absolute vision.  All bundled up.

“What’s up!”  

“Ah..I..just wanted to stop by...I have something...for you…”

“You wanna come in?”

“Um...I need to go to Kurenai-sensei’s place after this.”

“Oh.”

“.....I guess I can stay for a little while.”

“Great!”  He opens the door wider for her and lets her through.

She shivers as the change in temperature runs through her.  

“So...you have something for me?” he asks.  He desperately tries to hide how happy he is to see her.  He doesn’t want her to know what a hopeless case he is.

“Yes...it’s just a small thing…”  She blushes as she rummages through a large bag she’s holding.  She pulls out a patterned goodie bag of cookies. “I know you have so many gifts already..”  Her eyes shift toward the pile. She looks back at him. “But I was making for everyone, and I made some for you, too.”

He takes the cutely decorated sweets from her.  It wasn’t made especially just for him, but the gesture affects him more than it should.  When was the last time he got a gift from a friend? “Hinata…thank you.”

She smiles shyly.  “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not poisoned, is it?”

Her eyes brighten at the joke.  “No, I swear it’s not poisoned.”

“I’d eat it even if it was.”

She looks confused by his statement.  Her eyes squint at him, and she reddens, averting her gaze.  “Naruto-kun…”

He grins at her, but the smile falls as he sees her head back toward the door.  “Hey, Hinata, listen…”

She stops and turns to look at him.

He scratches the back of his neck nervously.  “About the other night, I’m sorry if I was too rou-”

“I wanted it, too.”  She’s flushed, but her eyes are trained on his, so he knows he didn’t mishear.

“Really?  I mean-”

She turns back to his door and opens it in a hurry.  

“Hinata, wait-”

“Have a happy Rinne Festival!”  She rushes out of his apartment and down the hall.

It takes him a second to realize that she ran away from him.  She actually _ran_ away from him.  But she also came to see him.  So...he has no idea what that means.  Is she afraid of him?  Because if she is, that is the last thing that he wants.  He’d rather she be mad at him than afraid of him.  Pulling on his coat and sliding his boots on, he rushes out after her.  

The cold air is surprisingly refreshing.  It stings him awake, and he feels more alert than before.  

He spots her calmly walking away.  He decides to not call after her, preferring to let surprise allow him to catch up.  

“Are you scared of me?”

She looks at him with such wide eyes, he knows he really surprised her.  “Naruto-kun!”

“Why did you run away?”

“I-I didn’t run away!”

He reflects on what he saw, reaffirming his suspicion.  “You ran away from me. Is it because of what happened? Because I swear it, Hinata, I won’t do that to you ever again.  I won’t touch you ever again. I know I said that before, but I mean it this time. I won’t ever-”

“Naruto-kun!”  

He pauses at her reprimanding tone.  

“I didn’t run away from _you_.  I would never run away from you!”  

“Then...why?”  

“It’s just... _embarrassing_.”  She blushes and frowns, looking away.

“Hinata, I don’t mean to make you feel that way..” he starts apologetically.

“No, it’s not your fault, Naruto-kun!  It’s just that...well...whenever I see you…”  She reddens deeply.  Her eyes turn up toward his slowly before averting once more.  Her mittened hands come up to hold her blushing cheeks.  “I think about what happened!  And I can’t...I just can’t...I can’t believe it...I don’t know how to face you or talk to you...I don’t know what you must think of me...I must look like such a...such a promiscuous girl to you.  I must look so desperate.  You must think I’m so weak and that I can’t control myself...and…”

Naruto places his hands on her shoulders and bends down to look her in the eyes.  He heard her reasons with increasing confusion. “Hinata, what are you talking about?”

“Oh...I’m talking about the other night...”

He shakes his head.  “No...because that’s not what I think of you at all…”  He stands straighter and blushes.

She looks up at him, and he can see that she’s wondering what he means.  

“You were so...so good.  You’re really beautiful and you felt so nice and that’s why...”  He swallows his embarrassment. “That’s why I can’t stop thinking about you.  You make me forget about everything that makes me feel lonely.” He frowns. He didn’t mean to say that out loud.  “I know I sound really lame, but that’s what I think. Even...before all of this...geez, y’know…” He rubs his neck, struggling to put his emotions to words.  “...You’re too nice to me. I don’t want you to feel desperate or weak or whatever that other word was. That’s how _I_ feel, but then when you’re around...you’re so good to me, and I want you to know that I…”  He looks at her.

She’s pretty.  Her eyes are bright and clear and looking straight at him.

“Really appreciate you.  You’re an _important_ friend to me.  Don’t run away from me.  I...I wouldn’t be able to handle having you avoid me.”  He feels like he just confessed everything about himself, which he hadn’t been planning on doing at all.  He doesn’t know why he always does this around her. It doesn’t look cool. He watches her eyes lower.

She nods and raises her head to see him.  “Naruto-kun.” Her voice is so soft, he needs to bend to hear it.  “I get lonely, too. And when you’re around, I don’t feel lonely at all.”  She smiles at him gently, and he feels his heart melt into a puddle. “I’m sorry for running away.  I won’t avoid you or run away again.”

He gazes into her eyes, and the sureness of her expression puts his heart at ease.  “Come over tonight.” His eyes widen at his own quiet words. Where the hell did that come from.  “I won’t touch you or anything, I promise, just...I miss you?”

She blushes.

“Really, we can just talk.  I mean it. I really mean it.  I can’t sleep if you’re not around.”  Well, that’s not entirely true now, but she doesn’t need to know that.  “Please?”

She nods.  Then shivers.

“I better let you go.  Sorry to keep you out in the cold.”

“It’s okay.  I’ll...come over..tonight, then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting.”

She blushes another smile and turns around.  

 

When he hears the quiet knocks on his door, it’s after 23:00.  He opens it in a rush.

“Hey.”  He was worried she wouldn’t come.  Seeing her in his doorway gives him the greatest relief.

“Hello,” she quietly says in return.

“Come on in.”  

She passes by him as he holds the door, and he feels the urgent desire to hug her.

He keeps his arms obediently at his sides.  “Thanks for coming over.”

She shakes her head as she removes her outerwear.  “It’s better to be with you than alone…” She blushes.

He really wants to hug her.  But he promised he wouldn’t touch her.  “Hinata…” His heart is squeezing, and he...wants her.  “You want anything to drink? You must be cold. I can make hot chocolate!”

“Mmm that sounds nice.  If it’s not too much trouble...”  

Just the hum of her voice does something for him, so he quickly heads to the kitchen and starts boiling some water.

“You haven’t touched any of these gifts since...last time?” she wonders aloud from the living room.

He groans at his current least favorite subject, deciding to act like he didn’t notice her awkward pause.  

“The Rinne Festival is tomorrow.”

“I know...I know…”  He pouts. He looks over at her.  

She’s standing over his piles of gifts.  She seems to sense his gaze and turns to look at him.  She smiles, and it’s beautiful.  “I can help you again.”

“Well I don’t know, y’know, the last time I let you help me, you were flinging panties all over the place.”

She scoffs.  “I was not!  Just at you!”

“Exactly.”

She giggles, and he smiles at the sound.  “I promise I won’t throw panties at you this time.”

“You promise, huh.”

“Yes, I promise and I never go back on my word.”

He shares a gaze with her, and he can feel the weight of their history together.  It would be a touching moment, if not for the subject matter.  “Well, now if you’re vowing on your nindo, that’s the promise of a lifetime.  No throwing panties at me ever.”

“I didn’t say ‘ever.’  I only said ‘this time’,” she giggles.

“What do you need to be throwing panties at me for?”

“Oh, I don’t know!  Maybe you’ll deserve it?”

“...I’ll deserve it, huh.”  He can’t help it.  He wiggles his eyebrows at her.    

She sputters at his expression.  “As punishment!  Like last time!  Punishment!”

“Hm…”  He nods with a small, sly smile.  “...punishment.”

Her mouth drops open, and she’s adorably red.  

He starts laughing.  Hard.  It completely eases the tension he felt from earlier.  “I’m sorry, Hinata.  I don’t mean it.  I’m sorry!”

“Y-you’re not sorry!  You’re laughing!”

“No, I really am sorry!”  He’s still laughing, though.  

“I won’t help you open your presents.  You can deal with this mess on your own!”

He abruptly stops laughing.  He gives her puppy dog eyes. It worked on Teuchi-jiisan when he was a kid.  Maybe it still works.  “Please, Hinata, I’m sorry.  I really am.  I won’t tease you like that anymore.  Please help me.  Look, here’s some hot chocolate.  It’s good.  Please help me?”

Her expression cracks into a smile.  “Oh, okay.  I’ll help you.  But only because of the hot chocolate.”

 

“Wow!”  He’s looking at the neat stacks of scrolls, books, sweaters, cards, and other miscellaneous items.  The hour passed quickly as they talked and joked about the gifts, missions, and friends.  “This is amazing!  You’re amazing!”  He grabs her into a tight, squeezing hug.  “Thank you so much!”  He registers her body, soft and cuddly, against his.  He quickly releases her.

She’s blushing.

He gives a nervous chuckle and looks down at their hard work.  “Good thing there weren’t too many weird items today.”

She nods quietly.  “Did..um...did you try the cookies?”

“No!  I’m saving them for tomorrow!”

She smiles warmly at him.  “I hope you like them.”

“Oh I know I will!  Anything you make is delicious.”  He stretches and flops down onto the couch.  He looks up at her and pats the cushion.  “C’mon, sit down.”

She carefully sits a respectful distance from him, and he can’t help but feel like she’s too far.  What would feel _right_ would be if she were right beside him, but he promised to not touch her (he broke that promise already), so…he stays where he is, unable to figure out the details of their relationship.  

“You got plans for tomorrow..or rather, today?”

“Yes, my family and I will have breakfast together.  Then Hanabi and I are going to bake a cake.  Mm, then we might spar.  Or just hang out.”

“A cake?  Sounds like fun!”  He thinks about how it must be nice to have a sister.  A family.  During the Rinne Festival.

She nods happily.  “I’m looking forward to it.  Hanabi is busier than me these days.  Do you have plans for..today?”

“Ah, well, I’ll eat your cookies!...and I guess I’ll pack some of this stuff into storage.  I think I’ll pop in on Iruka-sensei and see what he’s up to.”  He’s spent a few past holidays with Iruka-sensei before, including last year’s.  Hopefully his old teacher would have time for him in the morning.

She’s looking at him quietly, nodding, and he can guess at what she’s thinking.  But she says nothing.

So he speaks, instead.  “You...coming here, Hinata, to spend time with me...it really means a lot to me, y’know?  When I first saw you at the cemetery, I thought...maybe you wouldn’t want me around. I thought I might be bothering you.”

She shakes her head.  “You would never be a bother to me, Naruto-kun.”  

She just amazes him.  If it were anyone else, he’d be considered a waste of time, space, and energy.  But with Hinata, he feels like he’s worth something.

“Um..I can come over tomorrow night...if you’d like…?”

He nods and feels a pressure of emotion in his chest.  She’s just the best to him.  “I’d like that, Hinata…”

A tiny blush tints her cheeks, and she looks down at her hands.  “...It means a lot to me, too.”

He looks at her curiously.

“All of the times you were there for me..at the grave..and even now, too…” she nervously murmurs, pushing her fingers into the couch cushions.  “Thank you.”  She turns a small smile at him.

He smiles bashfully at her.

They let quiet settle between them as they look at each other shyly.

His eyes are drawn to the line of her bare neck, revealed with her hair pulled over her other shoulder.  There’s no sign of his lips having ever touched her skin. He pulls his eyes away from her.  “Well,” he starts, breaking the peace.  “If you need to eat breakfast with your family in the morning, you should try to sleep. Um..are you staying over?”

“Ah…”  She looks down again.  “Well...”

“You can stay.”  He looks directly at her, and he doesn’t say it, but he wish he could.   _Please, stay._

“Um..”  She’s looking at him, searching his expression.

“I swear I won’t touch you.”  He stands up quickly and rushes to his closet, pulling out blankets, comforters, and pillows.  “Today I bought thicker blankets just in case, y’know.” When he was re-furnishing his place, he skimped on the blankets, opting for just sheets.  But if Hinata was going to be here, he didn’t want to look too poor. He carries the large bundle over to the couch and covers her with them.

“Oh...thank you...this is so much.”  She’s positively swimming in thick blankets.  

He smiles widely at the sight.  “Yeah!  Get comfortable!”

“Will you..um..”

“Hm?”

“Willyoustaywithme?”  She’s blushing hard.

He tries to stop himself from smiling.  He was hoping he could.  He tries to be as nonchalant as he can be.  “Yeah.”  He turns out the living room lights and settles himself beside her into the blankets.

In the dark he can see her hugging a pillow, wiggling into the couch to find a comfortable position.  

“Good night, Hinata.”  

“...Good night, Naruto-kun.”

 

He wakes to find her leaning her head against his shoulder.  It’s dark.  He shifts himself into a comfortable position, accidentally waking her up.

She looks at him dozily.  “Naruto-kun…” Her voice is heavy with sleep.  She smiles at him and puts her hand on his chest.

He blinks sleepily at her.  He’s not much awake, either.

She pushes him down on the couch and smiles at him.  She lies down in the crook of his arm, facing away from him.

Figuring out what’s going on, he turns over onto his side and scooches himself to the back of the couch to make space for her.

She sits up a bit, feeling him move. Then lies back down on his arm.

The position is incredibly intimate.  Her bottom is flush against his pelvis and the arm she didn’t claim as her pillow has nowhere to go except awkwardly at his side.  Or he could hold her.  Those are his only two options.  So he decides on the better one.  Carefully, he drapes his arm over her side and across her stomach.  He breathes in the scent of her hair. Something floral.  Unable to help himself, he squeezes her against his chest.  He lies there, breathing her in.  His arm fits against her waist nicely, and his hand curls around her just enough that he can feel the softness of her breast above it.  He squeezes her again.

She wiggles into him.

Languid desire spreads through him.  He exhales against her skin.

She tenses, shifts, and relaxes into him more.

He gently presses his lips and nose into the nape of her neck and breathes.  He’s not sure how it’s possible to smell comfortable, but she does.  Her scent sends waves of comfort through him, numbing his brain.  He presses his lips there, at the back of her neck, and he can feel her tensing and squirming slightly in his arm with each of his breaths.  Her butt wiggles against him, and he steadily hardens.  She smells so nice.  She feels so nice.  A sense of comfort wafts through him.  “Hinata…” he whispers against her skin.

“Mm...Naruto-kuun…”  Her voice hums quietly around his name.

He smiles.  He kisses her neck and licks it a bit.

She wiggles against him more.  Her legs rub against his.

He squeezes her and sucks gently on her neck.

“Ah...Naruto-kuun...wh-what are you doing?”  Her voice is breathy and wanting.

He continues to lick and kiss her neck.  He moves his attention to the area below her ear, where he knows she’s more sensitive.  He sucks on her skin gently.  He breathes her in more.

Her ass rubs against his growing erection, and she arches a bit, exposing her neck to his ministrations.  “Naruto-kuunn…”

He bends the arm she’s lying on to hold her.  His hands squeeze her as he continues to kiss her neck.  He massages them, and they feel so incredibly soft and full through her thickly knit dress.  

She arches into his hands, pressing her butt against his hard length.  Her breaths turn light and airy.

He rubs himself against her, squeezing her, kissing her.  He sneaks his free arm beneath her sweater dress. And he finds skin.  Soft, pillowy skin.  He opens his eyes as sharp lust roils through him.  “You’re not..wearing a bra?”

“Mm…”  She arches into his hands and pelvis.

“Hinata…”  The dregs of sleep leave him.  He pushes her sweater up, allowing both of his hands to grab at her bare breasts and play with her stiff nipples.  He sucks hungrily at her neck.   _This girl..._ “Hinata, why aren’t you wearing a bra?” he asks lowly.

“Mm..ah..I don’t know…ah…”

He pinches her, and she grinds against him.  “So naughty…”

“Noo…” she defends herself.  She turns her head to look back at him.

He catches her lips and circles her tongue with his own.

She gasps into his lips as he continues squeezing and rubbing her nipples.

He reaches his hand into her leggings, under her panties.  It’s a tight fit, but he stretches his fingers to her folds and finds her soaking.  “You’re so wet already.”

“Mmm…”

He rubs her, his fingers collecting her arousal.  He slides it over her clit, and she moans.  He begins pressing and rubbing the nub, and she squirms and wiggles, moaning and gasping with every tweak of his fingers.  

“Ah..ah!...ahh!...ah!.Naruto-kun! Ah!..”

He’s so turned on.  After everything he promised about not touching her, he’s more turned on than ever before.  But she wants it.  He knows she does.  She wants him to fuck her. That thought leaves him keenly aware of his stiff member, and he fingers her harder, eliciting louder moans from the girl lying in his arms.  “Hina…”  He sucks on her neck desperately, knowing she’ll just heal it in the morning, and grinds and humps himself against her for some kind of relief.  He can’t take it.  He pulls away from her, and she whimpers at the loss of contact.  He feels it, too, but there are better things coming.  He climbs over her off the couch and pulls his clothes off quickly.

She sits up and removes her dress and leggings.  In the dark, on his couch, blankets and clothing strewn around her haphazardly, her supple body all softly rounded curves hiding firm strength, she has to be the sexiest thing he’s ever seen.  She reaches out and lightly strokes his dick, and he closes his eyes at her touch.

He’s on her in the next second, making out with her, palming her breast, and spreading her sticky lubricant over his member.  And in the next moment, he’s sliding into her.

They both moan at the feeling.  

He pushes into her, forcing her folds to spread for him as he sinks into her.  “Ohhh…” he exhales harshly.  He kisses her more, relishing the feeling of her tightly squeezing him.  He pulls out and pushes into her, and they both voice their pleasure.

“So...hard…” she gasps.

He blushes and looks at her lustfully.  “That’s ‘cause of you, Hina…”  He thrusts into her again deeply, and she moans.  “Coming over…”  He thrusts again.  “No bra on…”  He pushes into her and grinds.  “What am I supposed to do?...” he whispers seriously as he sexes her, working himself into a comfortable pace.

“Mmm…I...don’t...know...aah..oh...”

“You don’t..know..huh?...”  He twists his tongue around hers, feeling deep, satisfying pleasure radiate from his manhood.  He lifts himself up and thrusts faster, watching her body move with his timing.  He grabs one of her lush thighs and lifts her leg into his arm.  He can see her desire for him written out on her face, and it messes him up inside.  “Hina…” he voices hoarsely.  _You want this._ He pushes into her harder.   _You want me to fuck you._  He glances down and sees himself sliding in and out of her, wet and shiny.  His heart pounds with ecstasy, the feeling of manly dominance over her and the thought that she did this all on purpose colliding into a terrible high.

“Ah...Naruto-kuun…”  Her voice is velvet seduction.  

The thought that she wants him, she actually really wants him, overloads his brain.  He puts her leg back down and drives himself into her, pressing his weight against her soft body.  “You want this...yeah, Hina?...you want me...in you…” he whispers huskily into her ear.  His whole body is on fire.  He can feel himself growing bigger for her.

“...yes...oh...oohh...yes, Naruto-kuunnn…yes..I want you...”

 _Holy fuck._  He presses his lips against hers roughly and tongues her urgently.  He can’t stop kissing her, even as his mind strains for air.  He presses frantic kisses over her neck, licking her skin and sucking on her.  He pushes himself up again and pounds into her erratically.  He leans down and makes out with her desperately.  As he thrusts into her silky folds relentlessly, he realizes he _needs_ to hear her say it again.  “Hina...ugh…” he groans against her lips.   _Say you want me._  He slows down and grinds himself deeply into her.  He rotates his pelvis, feeling her soft flesh accept his rigid member’s exploration of her pussy.  “...You want me?...”  He looks at her passionately, waiting for her swollen lips to voice what he needs to hear.

She brings her hand up to caress his cheek and looks into his eyes as she pants out her pleasure.  Her other hand massages his taut arm muscles. “ _Yes_...Naruto-kun…” she breathes.

He pumps into her sharply.

“Ah!...I want you…”

He feels like he’s melting into her.  He slowly continues his thrusts, watching her move with him, memorizing her flushed expression.  He kisses her almost softly and sits up once more.  “You want me?” he hoarsely asks again.

“I want you...ah!...Naruto-kun!...I want...you...I want..ahh….you…”

He leans into her, shutting his eyes tight as he paces himself.  He encircles her body with his own, bringing his arm under her to cup her head in a close embrace.  He thrusts continuously, feeling everything inside him clench with burning desire.  The familiar wave of euphoria builds within him, threatening to spill over and drown him.  He doesn’t want it. He doesn’t want this to end, but, “Oh...Hina...I’m gonna come..”

“ _Y_ _es..._ Naruto-kun....” she breathes.

He’s hurtled into intoxicating bliss, glorious relief bursting through him, flooding him, expelling out of his reaching cock into her wonderfully soft and accepting body.  

She holds him close, her arms latching onto his back.  She grips him tightly, milking him as he pumps into her.  She lets out a long sigh.

They’re left panting heavily against each other.   

Naruto lifts himself up to take in her beauty.  His eyes trace her rounded cheekbones, her full lips, her glassy, moonlit eyes.  She’s amazing.  He kisses her passionately.  He rolls his hips against her slowly, enjoying her soaking flesh surrounding his sensitive member.

The soft girl beneath him hums her pleasure.  Her hands come up around him again, stroking his back, as her moans once more rise in quiet urgency.

He grinds himself gently against her.  He can feel her tightening around him. “Hinata…” he whispers affectionately.

Her moans form into quiet screams.  She locks around him, hugging him tightly, her eyes squeezing shut.

Naruto presses his lips against her neck, sucking and licking her skin.  He pushes himself deeply into her, feeling her fluids flow around him once more.  He blushes. He lifts up to look at her again, and she’s panting from her release.

Her eyes are out of focus, but completely reflect his visage.  Her mouth hangs open.  Her bangs are mussed, revealing her flushed face.  He can feel a heavy lust slowly rebuilding in his gut.  “You’re so sexy, Hina…”

She’s so tired, she can only moan a quiet response.  

He works himself into a steady pace again.

The room fills with their quiet panting and the sound of their soaked groins meeting in urgency.

He pulls himself out to the tip and easily slips back into her wet folds.  He can feel their cum flowing out of her with his long motions, sliding against their skin and wetting the blankets beneath them.  He marvels at the intimacy of their union.  He can’t help it.  He feels overwhelmed with the need to fill her with _himself_.  He repeatedly slips in and out of her, tonguing her mouth lazily.  He can feel her start to come alive beneath him again as her fingers grasp at his muscles.

She’s so soft and wet.  Her breathless sounds are intoxicating.

“Hina...You have...ugh...no idea…”  He works himself into her, revelling in the pleasure washing through him.  “How much...how much I want you…I just...wanna do this...all night…”

“Naru...to...kuunn…” she breathes.  She wiggles and arches against him, her breasts squishing and rubbing up on his chest.

He blushes and looks at her, heart trembling with lust.  “So sexy...Hina…”

He places his hands firmly on her hips and works himself into her.  It’s not enough.  He picks up her legs onto his shoulders, mind veering far and away at the tightening of flesh around him.  He closes his eyes, feeling her massage him.  There is nothing like this.  The ecstasy burning his heart is all-consuming.  He feels her hands find purchase on his legs.  Her hips wiggle to meet each of his thrusts.  He opens his eyes to gaze at her form beneath him.

She moans his name louder in this position.  Her cloudy eyes glimmer for him. Every shift of his weight into her body makes her soft breasts quiver enticingly.  She jerks back into an arch with each movement, exposing her neck.

The image is too erotic.  And it’s all for him. With his name filling the air, there’s no mistake about it.  His hand reaches out to squeeze her breasts, and she twists and wiggles around him even more.  He can’t stop. Everything in him is attracted to her, a magnetic connection that has him grabbing for her, pushing into her, holding her.  He bends down over her, intent on kissing her.

She folds easily, her legs coming up over her head.  

He presses his tongue against hers, enjoying the sound of her moans muffled in his mouth.  

Her brow furrows in concentration, and her lips drop open, her breath catching.  

Unable to continue kissing her, he watches her face contort.  Realizing that she’s about to orgasm, he picks up his pace.  Her soft, wet folds suck him back in repeatedly, and he finds himself at the brink of fulfilling rapture quicker than he predicted.  Her sounds of absolute pleasure fill his mind, and he loses himself in the ride of her high.  Euphoric heat tumbles through his veins, clutching at his heart, cascading under his skin in torrents of blissful release.  He shoves himself fully in her, ejaculating the burning rush of his desire to mix with her own.  He groans.

For a moment, they just breathe.  

Naruto lets Hinata’s legs down from his shoulders, and she lays beneath him, boneless.  He kisses her softly, but it takes all of whatever energy he has left.  He finally gives up and lays against her, panting into her hair.  Gathering himself again, he removes himself from her body.

She whimpers.

He lets his eyes travel over her exhausted expression.    

She rubs his cheek with the lightest touch.

The gesture surprises and warms him.  He blushes, remembering how she did that when she said she wanted him.  He falls to his side, running his arm beneath her head, and wrapping his other arm over her waist, snuggling her close.

 

When he wakes, she’s lightly running her fingers down his shoulder. _Hinata…_  He squeezes her and looks into her glowing, pale eyes.   _She’s beautiful_.  He presses his lips against hers gently.  Their tongues slip out and caress each other.  He feels himself harden at her thigh, and it brings awareness into his muddled morning brain.  “Sorry…”

She hums disagreement.  

He smiles slightly and looks at her.  “I promised I wouldn’t touch you…”

She smiles back, somewhat guiltily.  “I’m sorry?” she whispers.

He smirks and adjusts to pull her closer against him.  “Sorry for what?”

“...I don’t know,” she murmurs.

He returns to kissing her.  His hand wanders down her smooth back to her soft lower cheeks.  He traces circles into her plush skin with his fingertips and smiles against her lips when she shivers.   _She’s so responsive…_  His hand curves around her, reaching lower to her womanhood.  She’s still damp from their nighttime activities. His fingers separate her folds.

“Naruto-kunn,” she fusses.  “...I have to go soon…”

His heart drops.  “But you feel so nice,” he argues quietly.

She looks into his eyes, and he can’t help but wonder how she manages to look so innocent while he’s fingering her.  “Maybe…” A blush tints her cheeks. “Later tonight?...we can continue?...”

He can’t help but smile at the request.  He draws his hand away from her and kisses her chastely.  “Alright...Hina.”  He smiles devilishly at her and takes great satisfaction at her embarrassed expression.

 

It takes about a month of their explicit activities, interspersed with time away on missions, for Naruto to start questioning _why_.  Why is she doing this for him?  Why is she okay with this?  But he doesn’t get the chance to voice his concerns.  When he hears her quiet knocks at his door, he rushes her inside.  Sometimes they fall asleep in each other’s arms right away, too tired for anything else.  Sometimes they talk a little first if they had missions that day, sometimes they don’t talk at all.  On those nights, when he sees her, all he can see is her figure and soft skin beneath her long sleeves.  All he can imagine is what they’re about to do with each other, and it shoves all other worries to the back of his mind.  He always thinks he can ask her in the morning, but morning comes, and she leaves quickly.

She always has training with her team, a mission, or sparring with her family.  He wonders how he can get himself into her morning schedule.  He wonders what she thinks of him.  What she thinks of what they’re doing.  Each night leaves him with more questions.  But he doesn’t ask.

When either of them are gone for extended missions, it kills him a little.  He worries unnecessarily, and it’s selfish of him, he knows.  He worries that she’ll get hurt.  He worries that the time away will make her change her mind.  He worries that she’ll be placed on a team with some guy who’s better-looking than him, smarter than him, funnier than him, cooler than him.  He knows no one is stronger than him.  But maybe that’s not Hinata’s thing.  She doesn’t seem to be the type who cares about power.

When she comes knocking at his door after a long mission, it flakes off some insecurity.  When she allows him to circle his arms around her, it settles his heart just a little more.  When she kisses him back, it gives him a jolt of joy.  When she lays beneath him, and he’s deep inside of her, he asks her if she wants him.  And he listens intently, letting her reply soothe his anxieties.  He makes sure that she knows that he wants her.  He makes sure that if she asks him to stop this, that maybe just a piece of her will feel guilty for leaving him.

The morning after, he always feels embarrassed for his possessive behavior.  It’s wrong.  He has no claim over her.  She kisses him, maybe hugs him, and leaves.  Quickly.  Coming down from the high of their nightly union is more like falling.  It hurts more than it should.  

 

Finally, after awhile, he realizes he can’t take it.  He needs to know.  He waits impatiently for her arrival, hoping that she comes earlier than usual.  His eyes dart to the door when he hears her quiet knocks.  As he runs over, he can feel adrenaline rushing through him.  

She’s a sight.  Her midnight blue hair gleams in the dim hallway lighting.  Her cheeks are slightly pink from the chilly spring air.  And she wears a small smile, her eyes widening when she sees him.  

He smiles.  It’s hard for him to remember what he was worrying about.  He brings her in.  He can’t stop smiling.  Just her presence is relaxing.  

She smooths her hands over his chest to his shoulders.  

His hands naturally come around her tapering waist, familiar with the slope of her hips.  

Their lips meet softly.  

He can already feel his body reacting to hers.  It’s so automatic.  He backs her up to the wall and deepens the kiss.  Parting for air, he leans his forehead against hers lightly.  “Hey,” he breathes.

“Hi,” she shyly replies.  

The sparkle in her eyes lights his own expression.  Usually at this point, he’d resume kissing her until she’s latching her legs around his waist.  It’s tempting.  Instead, he pulls away from her and leads her to the couch.

She sits closely beside him.

He tosses an arm around her shoulders so that she can lean into his chest.  The intimacy of the position is not lost on him.  They definitely don’t sit like this in front of others.  “Hinata...can I ask you a question?”

She turns her face up to him and smiles.  “Mhm.”

He glances down at her and feels nervousness choking him up.  He shifts beside her, buying himself time.

She seems to sense his discomfort and looks at him a little more fully.  “Naruto-kun?”

“Whydoya...uh..y’know, like, do this for me?”

Her eyes look away in thought.  They turn toward him again.  “I’m sorry, can you ask that one more time?”

He gulps, but looks at her steadily, seriously.  “Why do you do this for me?”

She blinks at him, brows furrowing, then settles back into the couch.  

He watches her look at her hands clasped together tightly.  Each second that passes feels longer than the last.

“Um…”

It’s quiet, but his ears perk up at her voice.

“I don’t…”

He’s not breathing.  His eyes are trained on her profile.

“do this for you…”  

Confused, he tilts his head closer to listen.

She finally looks up at him.

He stills in her moonlit gaze.  They’re only centimeters apart.  He searches her expression, trying to sort through the emotions there.  Loneliness, fear, hope.  He recognizes all of those.  But there’s more.  It sends a rush of nerves climbing up his legs, through his arms, and it’s almost frightening in its depthlessness.  Does he really know her?  “Hinata?” he whispers, unsure of the entity before him.

She looks away, blushing.  “Naruto-kun…”

“Yes?”

“Does...what we do...help you?”

He nods, biting his lips.  “Yeah,” he quietly replies.  He busies himself by unfolding her squeezing hands and rubbing his thumb over her skin.

“It’s the same for me.”  She smiles, but it’s not genuine.  He can tell.

He frowns slightly at the lie.  “Does it really?”

She nods, a sudden sureness in her expression that wasn’t there a second ago, and he wonders if she really did tell the truth.  “Remember?” she asks him.  Her eyes trace his for just a second, and she doesn’t wait for him to catch on.  “When I’m with you, I don’t feel lonely,” she states slowly, clearly.  She looks at his hand around hers.  “I forget everything that makes me sad.”

“...Really?”

“Mhm...I won’t run away from you or avoid you, Naruto-kun.”  She looks at him fully, unwaveringly.

He gazes at her.  The words are familiar, but he can’t place when she said it before.  He just knows that this isn’t the first time she’s said it.  Realization hits him full in the face.  He’s incredibly insecure.  And she knows.  She _knows_ how weak he is.  He tears his eyes away from her and looks at the carpet.  Embarrassment rises furiously in him.  This is just him being possessive again.  Asking questions like this when he already has a good thing going for him.

“Naruto-kun?”  She leans closer to him.  “What’s wrong?”

He can’t look at her.  _Why?_   _Hinata, why?_  He wants to ask more, but he can’t.  He shifts his attention back to her slowly.  

She’s looking at him with those eyes.  Loneliness, fear, hope, _strength_.  He has always seen that in her, but for once he realizes, it’s _different_ , and he can’t identify with it.  There’s something strong in her emotions, and he knows it’s always been there, he knows that she’s looked at him with that expression before.  He doesn’t know what that strength is or where it comes from.  He clings onto that mysterious part of her desperately.  It’s that part of her that she has, and he doesn’t.  It’s that part of her that he can’t let go of, that he wants for himself.  It’s that part of her that makes him want her.

“Naruto-kun?”     

He kisses her, leaning her down into the cushions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You protected me twice already. I can't let you keep doing that. It's not cool. I can see it in your eyes. Don't be so hard on yourself! You are strong!"  
> -One of my favorite NH scenes :)


	6. Perfect Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The opening blowjob scene was originally a short 1/2 a page thing. Then it became more than a page over the past week as I edited... haha (no regrets, time well-spent x] )  
> Please enjoy smutty, loveydovey NaruHina!

He threads his fingers into her silky hair, resisting the urge to guide her further around him.  He settles for cradling her head, smoothing his hand around her scalp.

She feels so good.  Her mouth feels so good.  The way her tongue services his member is soul-shatteringly good.  But it’s not just that.  It’s seeing her.  Seeing his hardened length, slick, disappear into her lips while she kneels between his legs.  Seeing her pearl eyes peer up at him every once in awhile as she tries to suck him deeper down her throat.  And seeing that she can’t.  Because he’s just too big.  It stirs something in him, unfamiliar and powerful.  It weighs in his chest and _troubles_ him.

His fingers tense in her hair at the mental exertion to stay in control of himself.  He caresses her much more gently than the ardor pumping through his veins calls for.  “Hinata…” he whispers.  He stares at her soft, fair skin starkly contrasted around his swollen, raw lust, suppressing the desire to move further into her pretty lips.

She works her mouth and tongue all over his heated skin.  One hand squeezes the remaining length she can’t swallow.  Her cheeks hollow as she slides out, gliding her lips along his firm erection, licking him up the sensitive underside, leaving a sheen of her saliva, eyes lowered on his rigid cock.  

A burst of intense pleasure flares through him.  

She’s massaging him, toying with his tightened balls in her other hand.  

“Ohh...” he moans, closing his eyes.  He brushes his palm against her temple.  He realizes he can’t last long like this at the mercy of her stroking lips, playful tongue, and teasing fingers.  Suddenly, he feels completely, undeniably vulnerable to her.

She continuously sweeps and swirls her wet tongue around him, tenderly presses and rubs at the very base of his sensitive sack with her fingers, and swallows his thickening dick over and over.  Each stroke propels him closer to glorious bliss, shooting burning jolts of ecstasy through him without respite.

His muscles are shaking.  He can’t do a thing.  He’s helpless.  “Hina…” he groans.  He can hardly breathe.  _Don’t stop!_  The deep, relentless stimulation has him praying, dying and living, wrecking him into a formless, terrible mass of delirious energy.  He opens his eyes to look down at her once more, his wild gaze begging her to keep going in her avid devotion to his pulsing manhood.

She peeks up at him then, white eyes wide, sinfully innocent in appearance as she slides back down his shiny, engorged member.

He can’t breathe.  He tosses his head back and shuts his eyes tightly.  He gives up on showing her his appreciation and grasps frantically at the edge of the mattress.  “Oh Hina, you’re gonna make me come.” It’s a plea, not a warning, even as he desperately tries to hold off on his impending, huge orgasm.  

She makes a sound of approval, sucking him faster, seemingly unaware of the total havoc she’s wreaking on him.  Her fingers stroke searing fire down the back of his balls, and he surrenders, overcome with the absolute necessity to empty all of himself in her warm, eager mouth.  

His muscles clench, involuntarily raising his hips.  His breaths come out ragged, and he’s trembling.  Euphoria blooms, then surges through his entirety into beautiful, wonderful, exhilarating release.  “Oh..fuck yes...Hina.. _fuck_...”  He unloads his cum down her throat, revelling in how erotic the act is, marvelling on how much he’s coming for her.

She swallows, gulping the spurts of his essence, the rhythmic pressure of her soft tongue urging him on until he’s spilled all of his pent-up seed in her.  

He lets out a heavy sigh, watching her drink up everything he had to give her as the regained sense of masculine control fades into pure relief.    

She slowly sucks him one last time as she pulls away from his spent cock, sending shivers down his spine.  She gives his sensitive member a few tiny licks on the tip and a chaste kiss before turning a demure smile up at him.  “...Was it...good?”

He can’t help blushing a smile, despite his exhaustion.  “Yeah...it was...it was...”  He can’t find the words to describe it.  “It was _so_ good.  You made me come so hard.  You’re so sexy, Hinata.”

She blushes at the praise.

He helps her to stand and kisses her swollen lips deeply.  He can taste himself, and it’s strange, but he wants her to know how much he appreciates her.  Finally breaking from the kiss, he holds her close and whispers, “I’m sorry I can’t make you feel good.”

She hums in disagreement of his words.  “It’s okay.”

He can hear it, though, her unsatisfied arousal, in the pitch and tone of her voice.  He pouts.  He doesn’t mind the blood.  He’s seen more blood on the battlefield and he knows she has, too, but Hinata won’t have him anywhere near her crotch during her time of the month.  “I can’t wait for it to be over.”

She just smiles at him and lays in his bed.

After cleaning himself up, he joins her.  He snuggles close to her, and his heart feels full.  He’s happy.  So happy, it scares him.  Because a part of him knows that what they’re doing is just temporary.  It’ll only last until Hinata can do without him or until she finds someone she’d rather sleep with.  And he doesn’t know if he has the guts to find someone to replace her.  He doesn’t know if he can do it with just anyone, even if a girl were to offer herself to him.  After all, they both had their first times together. They experiment together and have fun together.  They know each other intimately.

He tries not to think about it as much as possible.  He tries not to question it as much as possible.  Ever since a couple of months ago when he asked her why, he doesn’t dare discuss their relationship any further.  What they’re doing, it’s scary.  And amazing.  She’s amazing.

Because ever since that winter, his life’s been better.  He was always pretty good about personal hygiene, washing his laundry as necessary, and cleaning his bathroom.  But now. Now she sometimes brings him homemade bentos to take for the following day. Now she cleans out his fridge after his extended missions, and he’s not drinking and eating expired goods that he probably should’ve thrown out.  Now he washes his dishes regularly with her instead of letting them pile up.  Now his clothes immediately go in the drawers and closet where they should be.  He feels more put-together.  He feels more responsible.  He feels better about himself.  

He even feels like he’s actually good-looking.  With the way she shyly checks him out, smooths her hands over his muscles, caresses his cheek, looks up into his eyes, and then _smiles_?  He feels handsome.  He feels attractive.

It’s crazy.  And he’s so happy.  So happy he’s scared.  But only when he thinks about it.

He presses a kiss on her forehead.  She’s already asleep, but it’s to be expected when she’s on her period.

He falls asleep quickly, too, with her tucked close against his side.

 

“Uzumaki Naruto, you and Hyuuga Hinata are to report to Hokage-sama in twenty minutes.”

Naruto leans against his partially opened door, staring at the tiger-masked Anbu messenger through narrowing eyes.  It’s not at all the first time she’s been called for a mission from his apartment, and while it disturbs him every time that they know when even his friends don’t, that’s not the cause for concern in this moment.  He nods.

The Anbu body-flickers away.    

The last time he went on a mission with Team 8 was before the war.  With his new-ish sensory skills and a set of S-rank level jutsu, there’s just really no need for him to go on a mission with Team 8.  Except for now.

He hustles to the bedroom and runs his hands over her arm to wake her.  “Hey, Hinata. We have a mission.”

“Mmm.”  She stretches and sits up, blinking awake.  “...We?”

He nods.  “Twenty minutes to get to the Hokage Tower.”  

Concern shadows her expression before she quickly rushes to his shower to clean off his scent.

They’re jumping across the roofs of the village in less than ten minutes.

 

“Two nights ago, the North Orphanage in the mountain region was attacked.  The three to twelve-year old children were kidnapped. The staff managed to escape with the infants and toddlers, and they only managed to relay the message here early this morning.”

He, Sai, and Team 8 stand before Kakashi, speechless.  Their faces express their horror.

“By now, the children could already have been shipped off to other lands.  Your mission is to rescue the children and apprehend the kidnappers.  According to the report, the kidnappers used earth-based techniques estimated at a chuunin rank.” 

He had traveled to the North Orphanage only just a few weeks ago to assist with paperwork for the new foster care program.  Those kids were scheduled to be placed with families by the end of the month.

“Team lead is Shino.  Naruto’s familiarity with the children and ability to detect their exact chakra signatures is essential to wrapping this mission up as quickly as possible.  If the children have already been separated, this mission could easily be over a week long.  Sai, I want you to send me a report as soon as you find out.  Start searching at our port town.  Get moving.”

 

Every mission for Naruto is personal.  But this one feels even more so.

 

Sai’s ink birds have them landing in Kaiwaki Port within two hours.

He’s already in Sage Mode.  He could sense the children’s tiny chakra signatures from before they could even see the town.  “They’re in that warehouse.”  He points to one along the row facing the ocean.

Shino nods and turns to Hinata.  “How many?”

Her Byakugan is activated.  “There are three patrolling the perimeter.  Inside, there are only four people, but...”  Her brow furrows.  “It looks like they’re forcing the children into shipping containers.”

“It’s not all of the kids.” Naruto mutters angrily.  He was hoping he was wrong, that when he got closer, he would be able to sense them.  

The others turn to stare at him for a moment.

“Sai, send an initial report.  Hinata and I will incapacitate those on guard.  Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru will engage those inside.  Use immobilizing jutsu.  The reason is we are aiming to capture, not kill.  Sai, as soon as you are done, provide support.”

They nod at Shino’s instructions and split into action, jumping onto the warehouse roofs lightly.  

Naruto assesses the entrances to the warehouse.  “That one is farthest from the kids,” he points out and looks back, realizing that Kiba is staring at him.  

The feral-looking teen’s eyes linger on his, brow raised.  

“What is it?”

“You sorta smell like Hinata today.”

He feels like a stone was lodged down his throat.  He stares at Kiba, unable to move.  Unable to think.

Kiba nods.  “Akamaru and I can break it open.”

His throat is dry.  His heart feels like it stopped.  It takes an awful second for Naruto to figure out what Kiba’s talking about.  He’s barely able to nod to show he understood.  He turns back around, just in time to see Hinata and Shino begin immobilizing the guards, and he has to force himself to refocus on the mission.  To not think about what Kiba just said.  What Kiba could possibly be thinking.

Because Kiba and Akamaru are leaping down, drilling through the locked doors with Gatsuga.

Naruto takes a deep breath, activating his Bijuu Mode as he follows them through.

Their entrance doesn’t escape notice.  The ground beneath them shakes, and a wall of earth rises between them and the kidnappers.

He easily makes the jump over the wall.  He quickly identifies the men, capturing them with his chakra tails before they can do anything else.   _One, two, three..._

“Surrender, or I’ll kill him!” the fourth man yells, raising a kunai to a child’s throat.

The child is too scared to even cry.

Naruto can sense the man’s panic.  He knows the man’s afraid, that he probably recognizes who he’s facing.  But he still might actually hurt the little boy.

“Damn it,” he hears Kiba mutter.  

“Let them go!” the man orders.

Hardly two seconds later, ink snakes wrap around the man’s legs and arms, surprising him and forcing him to drop his weapon.

 

“Where did you send them?”  Shino stands imposingly above the captive criminals.  Beetles cascade down from beneath his coat.

The bugs crawl up under the men’s pants, and the criminals squirm in discomfort, disgust, and fear.

Naruto watches with a grimace.  Being on the other side of Shino’s anger is a frightening thing.  The dark swarm of bugs are something out of nightmares.

“They’re on the other side of town,” a man spits out.

“He’s lying,” Naruto says without missing a beat, noticing the hateful intentions in his chakra.

Shino sends a few bugs flying into the man’s mouth.  

“Answer me.  Tell us where you sent them.  The reason is, if you don’t...”  His low voice trails off, and they start crying out in horror as beetles burrow into their arms.

Naruto rarely witnesses torture.  He knows on a normal day, he wouldn’t be able to stomach something like this.  But a part of him feels like these men deserve it.  They preyed on _children_.  And he knows the bugs won’t kill them unless Shino wants them to.  The men don’t know that.

The men are whimpering as bugs crawl into their ears and up their noses.  “The Land of Water,” one squeaks out. He’s practically crying.

“What islands?” Shino questions in his terrifyingly even tone.

“Don’t tell the-”

“Aoshima and Midorijima,” the man cries as bugs crawl over his eyes.

Shino stares at them.  He sends more bugs over to the man who tried to stop his accomplice from speaking.  He turns to Naruto.  “Is he telling the truth?”

The man is whimpering pitifully, while the other man sounds like he might be choking.

Naruto just nods.  

Shino doesn’t pull back the bugs.  He waits another long second.  “Who are the other traffickers?”

Another man cries out, “His name is Kaguro!  He has a network based in Midorijima!  Please stop!!”  

Shino glances at Naruto, who nods at his unspoken question.

Shino allows the bugs to slowly retreat from their bodies.  

The men are trembling in their chakra binds.  The one man who probably has a phobia is shaking his head as if one might still be in there.  

 

It’s not until near sundown when they receive further instructions from Kakashi, and the men are properly arrested.  They received permission to enter into the Land of Water, but were required to wait until morning to head out on an authorized ship.

With some night hours to spend, they found an inn that was all too happy to overlook Akamaru if Naruto agreed to give them a picture and an autograph.

And after a dinner and discussion on how to best split up the teams between Aoshima and Midorijima, everyone retires to their rooms.  

Except Naruto.  He can’t relax.  All afternoon and night, at the back of his mind he’d been worrying that Kiba would suspect something and mention it again.  He’d been so thrown off by his seemingly offhand comment, he hadn’t been concentrating, and he knows it was his fault that the little boy could have been killed.  It was with great relief he stepped outside to refocus on the mission and get away from the others.

He ducks away from the main thoroughfare, still bustling and crowded even as the hour turns late.  He heads toward the docks, and the chatter from the streets fade to the uneven sound of waves lapping at the sides of the boats.

The moon appears small over the expansive water.  Miles and miles of ocean that they’ll only get a start on in the morning.  Hours and hours of wasted time while the children are being held captive for who knows what purposes.  

He can’t imagine the trauma the children are going through.  His own childhood was traumatizing in its own way. He knows without a doubt that losing their families traumatized the orphans on a similar scale to Sasuke’s or Iruka-sensei’s experiences.  And now this.  He held high hopes for the foster care program.  It would be one step closer to making sure the cycle of hatred doesn’t repeat itself.  He can’t fathom how differently he would’ve grown up if a kindhearted family had taken him in.  If a family had cared for Sasuke.  An orphanage itself would have made a huge difference for both of them.  But despite their efforts to improve things, people with evil in their hearts go for the most vulnerable.  And Naruto knows, it’s the most vulnerable who have the ability to make the greatest impact on the world, for better or for worse.  And he needs to make sure he saves these kids.  So that it’s not for the worse.

“Naruto-kun?”  Hinata’s soft voice interrupts his worries.  She sits beside him on the steps that lead down to the harborwalk.  

He glances at her before returning to staring out over the tethered boats on the water.  “Those kids…” he replies.

She hugs her knees together against the cold seabreeze.  “We’ll rescue them,” she states without a hint of doubt.

He nods, reassured.  

They sit silently together, and his mind drifts away from their mission to the girl beside him.  He wonders at her ability to calm him. The effect is almost always immediate.  He just has to see her or hear her to feel comforted.  She always seems to know exactly what to say.  Too, when she’s near, he feels strangely self-conscious. As if he has to be better or do better, even though he knows that she’ll accept him for who he is.  He knows he doesn’t need to pretend anything in front of her. But he wants her to see the best sides of him. She usually brings out the best sides of him anyway.  He’s always funnier and more charming around her. Or is that just his imagination?

“Y-yes?  Is there...something?”  She gathers the flyaway strands of her hair.

He realizes he’s been staring at her.  He blinks and grins. “Naw, you’re perfect.”

She gives him a blank look for a fraction of a second and then shakes her head slightly.  “Oh no, I’m not perfect…don’t say things like that…”

“What?”  He smiles at her teasingly.  “But it’s true.”

“No, you know that’s not true.  It’s not possible to be perfect...I make mistakes and have my own flaws…”

“Hm.”  Naruto nods in consideration of her words.  He knows everyone makes mistakes and has flaws, but that’s not what he means.  Hinata’s _perfect_.  “Yeah, but...you’re perfect, y’know?”

She looks at him, confused.  “No, Naruto-kun...no...you’re embarrassing me...”  She’s running her hands down her hair, twisting the strands together nervously.  

He watches her and realizes that she needs to _understand_.  He takes her hands away from her hair and holds them, which he often does when he notices that she’s nervous, like now.  He wants her to know that there’s no reason for her to feel nervous around him. He wants her to feel as comforted by him as he is by her.  “Hinata, you’re _perfect_.”

She looks away, refusing to maintain eye contact.  He can see her deep blush in the glow of the streetlamps.  “What...I don’t…”

“Hinata.”  He waits patiently for her opalescent eyes to turn back to him.  He holds her uncertain gaze and smiles.  “You’re perfect to me.”  He knows he’s speaking the truth.  Because she’s beautiful.  Inside and out, she’s amazing to him.

Her eyes widen at his words.  

Surely she understands him now?  Surely she understands that she’s perfect?  

Her eyes search his for several seconds, and he doesn’t back down.  “Naruto-kun…”  Her voice is hardly above a breath.  “...what…….do you…?”

He squeezes his eyes shut. _She doesn’t get it!_  It’s frustrating.  And it hurts.  He thought she would get it.  She usually understands him so easily.  “..Nevermind.”  He turns away from her, but Hinata doesn’t let his hands go.

She grips him tighter.  “Naruto-kun?”  Her voice coaxes him to look at her again.

So he does, despite his embarrassment.  And it steals his breath away.

It’s _that_.  That indescribable emotion in her expression.  Strong, vivid, mysterious.  Special.  It rings within him true and pure.  It makes him feel like he’s the _most_.  The most everything.  And he really...he really..wants it.  Because, _gods, she’s perfect_.  He smiles into their kiss.

Her lips are so soft.  She tastes so sweet.

He kisses her slowly.  His heart pounds.

They pause for air, and he can see her smile.  He can see the shine in her eyes that’s just for him.  

He kisses her longer.  He doesn’t know how much time passes as they’re sitting, making out, by the harbor.  It crosses his mind how he would relish diving deep into her to bring her pleasures no one else can give her.  How he would prove to her that he’s the only one who knows the extent of her perfection.  But instead he holds her close and kisses her gently, almost trembling with passion, until lust finally fades away, and they’re exchanging kisses that are hardly more than whispers on their lips.

When the moon has risen higher in the sky, the two decide to head back.  Maybe it’s being in another town.  Maybe it’s the cover of night.  They hold hands, only separating when they enter the inn.  

Naruto stops in front of her room, and Hinata leans against her door.  He takes a moment to appreciate the curve of her cheekbones and the shape of her eyes.  

She blushes at his close scrutiny.  

“Good night, Hinata.”

She smiles at him shyly.  “Good night, Naruto-kun.”

He glances down the hall in both directions.  Seeing that they are indeed alone, he presses his lips to hers gently.  “Sleep well,” he whispers.

“You, too,” she whispers back.  

He unwillingly turns toward his room, glancing back at her.

She smiles warmly at him.

They enter their rooms, still looking down the hall at each other, with small smiles.

He closes the door and sighs.  His heart feels like it’s squeezing.

Sai is sitting in front of the window, painting the moon over the rows of boats on the water.  He turns and glances at Naruto.  “You finally came back.”

“Yeah…” he replies, almost breathlessly.  His mind is somewhere else, completely.

“I thought you two would return sooner.”  Sai turns back to his painting.

It takes a second for his teammate’s nonchalant words to register.  “...What?”  He looks disbelievingly at Sai.

Sai turns around again and smiles.  “You and Hinata were kissing for longer than I expected.”

That expression usually gives Naruto the chills, but this time he’s blushing furiously.  “Sai, you..you saw us?” he chokes out.  Fear rises in him, twisting his gut.  “From up here?  You saw us?”  He rushes to the window and looks down toward the harborwalk.

“No, I was outside looking for a good place to paint, and I saw the two of you kissing.  I thought maybe I would call out to you, but it seemed like you were much too busy to notice.”  

Naruto sits on the bed, ignoring his misguided joke.  He runs his hand through his hair. If anyone finds out.  If Hinata’s teammates find out. Everything would be over.  He bites his lips and adjusts himself nervously.

“Something is...wrong,” Sai states.  “Did I say something wrong?”

Naruto looks up at him.  Sai is so socially awkward, he might let their secret out, and he wouldn’t even realize it.  “Sai.”

The pale shinobi nods.

“Sai, you _can’t_ , you _can’t_ tell anyone that you saw us.”

Sai noticeably frowns.

Naruto can see him trying to think all of this through.  After a couple of years now working with Sai, he understands him a lot better.  Sai simply doesn’t understand the situation. “You just...you just can’t tell anyone.  Especially Kiba and Shino. You can’t tell them about...what we were doing.”

Sai is silent for a long moment.  “Is kissing wrong?”

“...No...it’s not…”

“Is it because we’re on a mission?”

“...That’s not why.  Just, don’t tell anyone.  Okay? Please?”

Sai nods.

Naruto feels slightly better.

 

They’re both lying in their beds when Sai speaks up again.  “I’ve never seen it like that before.”

Naruto doesn’t roll over to face him.  He’s blushing too hard. “Oh” is all he’s able to vocalize.  

“You must love each other a lot.”

His face screws up in confusion.  He flips over to see Sai staring at the ceiling.

“When I was studying body language, I read that people kiss to show each other they love each other.  You were kissing her a lot. You must love her a lot.”

“Love?…”  Naruto stares at his teammate, brow furrowing deeply.

“You don’t love her?”

“‘Course I do, but…”  He shakes his head. He loves his team.  He loves Konoha.  He loves Hinata, sure, _but_ _it’s different_.  

“Then why did you kiss her?”

For a moment, he’s at a loss.  Why did he kiss her?  _Because...because she’s perfect!_  But he can’t tell Sai that, either.  It feels personal. It feels like a part of him that only Hinata should hear.  “...I can’t tell you that, Sai.”

“...So people kiss each other for reasons other than love…” he murmurs, as if filing this bit of information into his brain.

Naruto turns away in shame, remembering the reasons he first started doing all of this with Hinata.  He was lonely.  He was horny.  He wanted someone to comfort him, and Hinata fit the bill.  She was drunk, she paid him some compliments, she was really hot in bed, and it turned out she was lonely, too.  He remembers what a complete fucktard he was that day.  How he knew she wasn’t in her right mind...after all she had been crying not even 30 minutes prior at her cousin’s grave...but _he did it anyway_.  He had his way with her.  And then he encouraged her to do it with him again.  And again.  And he continually pressures her to stay with him, to understand him so that...she won’t leave him.

He relies on her so much that he can’t bear the thought that she might go off and find someone else.  Make some other guy her delicious bentos.  Refold some other guy’s shirts to be straight and smooth.  Suck some other guy’s dick off until he’s worshiping her for the perfect woman she is.  Worse yet, he finds it hard to find fault with his fears.  No one’s ever treated him the way she does, and now that he knows what it’s like--to be taken care of, to be touched gently--he’s loathe to lose it.

And he hates himself for it.  He doesn’t want to think about it because he knew it.  He already knew it, but he didn’t want to face it.  That underneath every moment with her, deep down, he’s trying to manipulate her to want to stay with him.  He knows this ugly side of him isn’t love.  He knows that what he feels is something worse, something desperate and selfish.  It makes time spent with her feel like his cup is overflowing, and then like he’s asking for more, _completely undeserved_ , but...

He sits up.  “I need her.”  His voice is only a whisper, and even to his own ears, it sounds disgustingly pitiful.  Like some sorry excuse.

Sai turns his face to look at him.  

“I...kissed her because I need her.  You can’t tell anyone about us, Sai. Otherwise I’ll lose her.”  He’s a pathetic bastard.  And he knows it.  It’s not pure--he can’t love her the way he loves his team.

Sai stares at him.  “So _even you,_ the shinobi world’s hero, needs someone.”

Naruto looks up at his teammate.  He grimaces, humiliated by his exposed perverseness.

Sai blinks at him.  “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I won’t tell anyone because you’re my friend.  You hardly ever ask anything of me, so I will do my best to help you.”

He nods, unable to express his appreciation.  He lies back down, curling toward the wall.

Despite his guilt, what he wants more than anything is to see her.  To cuddle with her, have sex with her, whisper naughty things in her ear until she’s flushed cherry red, make her gasp out his name like something holy and precious, and finally pass out in exhaustion in each other’s arms.  She’s right down the hall. He could go. But she’s on her period. They could still cuddle. But Kiba and Shino are in the room right next to hers. And he would chance getting caught.

Hinata wouldn’t allow it anyway.  Not on a mission. It’s against protocol.

He frowns.  Their kissing was against the rules, too.  

But for that moment, everything was so right, so beautiful.  The way she looked at him tonight was just overwhelming. The way she smiled as they kissed took his breath away.  He blushes.  The memory makes him so happy.  So happy, it hurts.  So happy, it’s terrifying.  That he might never be this happy ever again.      

 

Night is always the darkest right before dawn.  The inn’s silence as he and Sai step out into the dimly lit hallway reminds him exactly why Hinata has been such a comfort to him the past few months.  It reminds him (to his personal shame and embarrassment) exactly why he feels so desperate and needy.  He doesn’t want to sit awake in the long hours of the night alone.

The two head down to the small lobby to wait for the rest of their team.  He’s anxious about seeing her.  Anxious that being near her will heighten the possessive and manipulative side of him.

But when Team 8 comes down a few minutes later to meet them, his gaze automatically moves to her.  And he smiles.

“Good morning, Naruto-kun,” she whispers in her soothing tone, with her shy smile, with her glowing eyes.

His chest feels heavy and his head feels light with just one look at her.  Yet he manages to reply, “'Morning, Hinata.”

He doesn’t know how he forgot, but he did.  He forgot that when she’s around, he’s always his best self.  There’s no purer feeling than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all of you who have been writing me comments or leaving this story a kudos, thank you!  
> Some of you probably know how much I love comments and how encouraging I find it.  
> I write what I want to read and I write for myself, but I still find it really thoughtful and helpful to know your guys' opinions on how or what I'm writing. Really and truly thank you for taking the time :)


	7. Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's pretty dense compared to what I usually write, but please enjoy :)

True to its name, Midorijima is lush.  A light rain showers the greenery that crowds the cliff sides.  Small buildings that make up the port town are shadowed within the canopy of wide-reaching trees.  

Its beauty is ominously deceiving.  He could pinpoint the children’s location as soon as the seagulls signaled their approach to land.  

“They’re all here,” Naruto announces.

They stand on the rooftop of a gray, three-story building, the edges and paint worn with years of rain, across from a similar, faded yellow building.  They’re both unassuming, amongst the surrounding apartments and businesses.

A few quick strokes, and Sai’s ink rats are scouting to get a better picture of the indoors.

“And Kaguro..is he..?” a Kiri-nin, whose name is escaping the blonde ninja, starts.

Naruto scans the chakra signatures in the area.  Besides their own, he can’t sense any as highly developed.  “Unless he’s intentionally lowering his presence, he’s probably not here.”

“He’s been a problem in our Land since before the war, but only recently his activity has grown.  It’s said his base is here in Midorijima, but we’ve never found him here.”

Naruto and Sai frown, exchanging looks.  Shino had split the teams up according to that bit of information, with the consideration that Naruto, being the fastest with a diverse skill set, would easily be able to capture him.  After asking around on the ship, they found rumors that Kaguro has advanced water and genjutsu abilities.  It’s perhaps for the best that Kaguro isn’t here on Midorijima.  Naruto knows he’s weak against genjutsu.

“Well, let’s wrap this up as quick as we can and join the others.  You two-” Naruto gestures at the Kiri shinobi. “-will cover that building.  There’s three twelve-year old girls on the second floor. There’s someone else, too, with them, but that person seems to be a civilian.  Sai and I will get these top rooms.  There’re two boys and two adults who also seem to be civilians.”

Sai’s ink rats return, melding onto his scrolls into designs of the interior of the buildings.  After a few seconds of study, they look at each other and nod before jumping off the rooftop.

Naruto and Sai rush up to the third floor.  Sai’s ink snakes easily unlock the doors for them with Sai taking one room and Naruto taking the other.  

A strange smell billows out of the room, and Naruto holds his breath on instinct.  He lets out a low-level gust of wind from his palm to clear the air.

A man is standing in alarm above a young boy, laid out on a table.  “Who are you?” he calls out, threateningly.

But Naruto’s not paying attention to the civilian man.  

The young boy’s eyes are listless.  He remains unmoving, not at all registering the newcomer in the room.

“Hiroto!” he shouts.

The boy’s eyes dazedly shift to the side.

Naruto glares accusingly at the man.  “What did you do to him?!”

“Who are you?!” the man yells back.

Naruto flexes his hands, wishing he could punch this guy into the gravity realm and leave his flabby body there to smoosh into itself and die.  “What the hell did you do to Hiroto?!”  His killing intent flares.

The man seems to register that Naruto’s not just some random intruder.  His gaze passes over his hitai-ate, and the man takes a step back.  “I’m just following orders.”  His hands come up in a cautionary stance.

Naruto strides up to the man and pulls him up by the shirt, pinning him against the wall with a kunai gripped in his other hand to the man’s cheek.  “Who’s your boss and where is he?”

The man starts shaking in fear.  “I don’t know, I don’t know where he is.  Kaguro-sama never comes around here.”

He scowls at the useless information.  “What did you do to Hiroto?”

“Tha-that’s..”

Naruto presses him harder against the wall and lets the kunai knick at his skin.

“Testing!” the man whimpers out.  

Memories of Orochimaru and his twisted underlings pop into mind.  Of a preteen Sasuke, deformed nearly beyond recognition by hate and curses.  “What the hell are you testing on a twelve-year old?!  How do we fix him?!”

“I-It’ll wear off in a few minutes!!  It’s a drug!  Not on the market!”

Ink snakes slide up the walls and wrap around the man’s mouth.  

Naruto releases him and lets the jutsu bind the man.  He turns his attention to Sai, who enters the room.

His teammate is carrying another boy in his arms, in a similar state to Hiroto.  The man beside him is bound with ink snakes.

Naruto walks up to the boy on the table.  He passes his hand over his pale face to wipe off the cold sweat.  “We’re going to get him,” he mutters, a promise to Hiroto and a promise to himself.

 

The girls don’t seem drugged like the boys, but seeing them is just as upsetting.  His time spent training and traveling with Jiraiya showed him the darker sides of the country.  The girls were being prepped for a pleasure house.  Their attire said enough.  It’s sickening.  They’re only twelve.  As soon as they have the children checked in at the hospital, Naruto and Sai leave for Aoshima, intent on finding Kaguro.  

 

As they fly over, Naruto is relieved to find that Team 8 already saved the children, that they are safely at a clinic.  Team 8, however, is nowhere near the main town of Aoshima.

“You think they found Kaguro?” Sai wonders as their ink bird takes them into a deep, misty valley.

“I hope so.”  He has no idea what Team 8 is doing in the forest, but they would soon find out.  

They hover near the back of the valley against the mountainside, scanning the forest floor for signs of their comrades.  

“I can sense them.  We should be right over them.”  Naruto concernedly looks through the canopy.  He can’t see anyone, but it’s hard to tell with the incoming fog rolling off the mountainside.

Sai glances at Naruto and stares back down at the forest.  “Maybe we need to get down there.”  Sai steers the ink bird farther away so that they can sneak into the suspicious zone.  

“Why didn’t they wait for us?” Naruto mutters, growing upset and worried with the silence of the dense foliage.  

“They must have gotten a tail on him.  They decided to track him before they lost sight of him,” Sai murmurs back.  

Naruto can sense them.  He can sense _her_.  But he can’t see them, he can’t see her, and all he can see are the misted trees.  “I don’t like this.”

The two of them stand stockstill, listening for any sign of activity, but nothing.

He can’t sense anyone else besides themselves and Team 8.  There’s no apparent reason for them coming here.  “I don’t like this,” he repeats.  “There’s no one else here, Sai.  Sage Mode doesn’t lie.  There’s no one else here besides us and Team 8.  But we can’t even see them.  They should be right...right here!”

Sai’s brow furrows.  His eyes dart around, restless.  He takes some steps, searching the ground, the trees, the clouded sky.  “Naruto.  This...we must be…”

“Naruto-kun!”

He whips around to see her running toward him through the thickening fog.  “Hinata!”  Everything in him decompresses.  “Hinata, where is everyone?  What are you guys doing-”  _Oh…_  

Her body is warm and right in his arms.  She fits perfectly against him.

He embraces her close, his hands pressing into her sides.  “Hinata…” he whispers.  His heart flutters madly at the feel of her.  He turns his head to kiss her, and blood rushes through his veins as their lips meet softly, the taste of her invigorating and comforting.  Pausing for breath, he whispers her name in relief.  He was so worried, he was so worried.  He doesn’t remember what he was worried about before, but he was so afraid.  “Hinata...Hinata...don’t scare me like that…”  He looks into her pearl eyes, _beautiful_.

She gazes up at him.  “I’m sorry, Naruto-kun.”

“It’s okay.  You’re here now.”

She shakes her head.  “No, it’s not okay.”  She takes a step back from him, her arms leaving his body.

He steps toward her, missing her warmth, but she keeps the distance.  “What’s not okay?”

“This.”

“...This?”

“I tried, Naruto-kun.  I really tried.”  Her voice is small, defeated.  She looks to the ground miserably.

His brow furrows.  He doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  A part of him doesn’t want to know.  “What...what is it?”

“I really tried to get over it...”  She looks up, pained.  “To forgive you.”

He stares at her.  His heart fractured at the look on her face, at her words, those words he’s feared for nearly two years.  

“I tried, but I can’t help it.”  Her eyes brim with tears.  And he’s the cause of it.  “N-Neji..Neji-niisan...he’s gone...because of you and I...I tried, Naruto-kun...I’m _sorry_ …  I tried to forgive you, b-but I-I c-can’t help..but resent y-you..”  Tears stream down her fair cheeks.  Her hands come up to cover her mouth and she turns away, too hurt to even look at him.

His breath constricts in his throat.  “Hinata...I’m..I’m sorry…”  An apology that has never been enough.  Not back then.  Not now.

“I can’t…”  She shakes her head, her long, blue hair falling between them.

“No...Hinata, I…”  He steps toward her, but she backs away.  

“I tried, Naruto-kun…I can’t do this..”

He feels sick.  A tight pressure amasses in his chest.  Like he might vomit.  “Hinata..” he pleads.  “I’m sorry..I’m sorry...I...I’ll do anything…”  Frantic, desperate, on the verge of panic. He steps toward her again.  “..don’t…”

She turns and runs out his door.

He’s alone.  He’s so sick.  He leans against a wall to steady himself.  He can’t breathe.  He aches and he’s sick.  He’s sick.  _Hinata...no, no, no!..._  He collapses onto the floor, and he holds his head in his hands, trying to block out the grotesque memory of the stakes impaling Neji’s body, his blood running down, damp and hot on his jacket.  And the thought that always follows that memory, without fail, that _that could’ve been her._  To make sense of Neji’s sacrifice, to figure out what he needs to do next, what he has to do to make up for all of it--he’s never been able to think it all through.  His lack of comprehension in the aftermath has always left him feeling helpless, weak, and stupid.  He just knows that despite anything and everything he’s done and said, he’s failed.  Hinata could never really want him.  Of course she would never actually want anything to do with him.

He doesn’t know how long he lies on the cold floor, but long enough for his hyperventilation to finally calm.  Long enough for the tears to dry.  He’s utterly alone in his dark apartment.

“Naruto!  Get up!”

He groans at the disturbance.  He wants to die.

“Naruto!  It’s a genjutsu!  Get up!”

He blearily blinks to see Sai above him.  “What?”  His voice feels hoarse.

“It’s a genjutsu!”

He sits up and looks around in a panic.  “Hinata!” he jumbles out.  He’s breathing hard.  Vaguely the sound of blunt impact somewhere in the distance registers in his mind.

Sai stares at him, and his face is so blank, Naruto wonders if he’s looking at the Sai from over two years ago.  “Your chakra is...stubborn,” he comments.  “I tried...so many times to wake you up.  I think this feeling is...irritation.”  He nods in confirmation of his own words.  “It was...it was..irritating.”

Naruto feels like the dirt and twigs beneath him are familiar.  “S-Sorry.”

The sound of fighting is apparent.

He blinks hard, looking around.  “W-what..”

“I think...this fog is causing a genjutsu.  I’m really...having a difficult time...focusing.”  Sai murmurs.

Naruto struggles to get up.  His chest still feels heavy.  His mind is struggling to sort between what he actually needs to do and what his feelings are telling him to do.  “Where’s Hinata?” he mumbles.

Sai stares at him.  “Can you do something about this fog?  I can’t...put enough chakra into my ink.”  Scrolls lie around him.  Drawings of birds morph strangely into other animals.

Naruto furrows his brow at the sight of the odd creatures, trying to figure out why he needs to even care about the fog.  He needs to see Hinata.

Sai grabs his shoulder.  “Ugh, Naruto!  Kai!  Kai!”

He feels like a veil was taken off his brain.  It was a dream.  A nightmare.  A genjutsu.  He creates a wind release, a breakthrough that clears the surrounding clouds.  

It’s not a forest, alarmingly.  It’s a clearing.  A small facility of some sort sits there.  

A yell, a battle cry, echoes against the mountain.

“Hinata!”  Naruto runs and jumps onto the roof.  He goes to the edge and sees her on the other side.

She’s in her Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms technique.  The technique that once saved his life so many years ago.  Water vapor, diverted by her chakra, billows out around her.  Kiba and Akamaru are passed out behind her.  Shino is on his knees, clutching the grass, rubbing at his head as his bugs laze about in the air.

The man across from her falters for a second, letting up his stream of vapor.

She rushes him in an attempt to block his tenketsu.

He barely manages to evade her.  He flips away and makes a hand sign.  Mist shrouds the clearing once more.

Naruto clears the mist quickly with his wind release and jumps down to her.  “Hinata!”

“Naruto-kun!”

The man lets out a sound of annoyance.

“It’s Kaguro.  Don’t let his water hit you.”  She’s breathing hard.  “It’ll lock you in a genjutsu.”  

He nods, turning his attention to the man, younger than he predicted.  

Kaguro looks exhausted.  But he smirks.  “Enjoyed the dream?”

Naruto flinches.

“It’s all true.  My genjutsu makes you confront the truths you’re hiding from.”  His menacing smile grows, even as he’s panting for breath.  His eyes shift to Hinata, and he nods.  “She’ll always hold it against you.”

Naruto looks at Hinata then, but she’s looking at the ground.  Mist is rising around them.

She meets his eyes.  “Naruto-kun!  The mist!”

He can see the tears in her eyes that are _his fault_.  He shakes his head desperately.  “Hinata...”

“He’s lying!  Whatever he’s talking about, he’s lying!”  Hinata turns away from him.  Instead her attention is on their foggy surroundings.  She looks at him quickly and places a hand on him.  “Kai!”  She runs off into the mist.

“Super Beast Scroll!”

The mist clears once more, and Naruto’s blinking away his confusion.  He fell for it.  Again.  He can’t believe it.  It’s humiliating.  He lost himself so easily in front of the enemy.  In front of her!  He breaks into a run to chase after them.

Kaguro is wielding whips of water at Hinata and Sai.  Sai attempts to stay out of range on his ink bird to keep the chakra-infused water from dissolving his jutsu.  Hinata’s dodging it, using her Twin Lion Fists to disrupt the curl of the whip when she has to.  He doesn’t know how she’s keeping herself together.  

Because he’s already feeling sick, physically sick, like he might puke, from the emotional swinging between reality and dreams.  He can’t touch the water.  Otherwise he’ll lose himself.  He just needs to get close enough to punch the living daylights out of the guy.  Then Sai can capture him.  It’s not sophisticated, but he doesn’t have the mental (or emotional) capacity for any fancy plans.

He summons a hundred clones of himself.  They charge Kaguro, who redirects and lashes his jutsu at the onslaught.  Naruto presses onward, his clones poofing out of existence before him.  The ground is wet, the air is wet.  Each breath he takes is wet.  He feels so much like turning around and holding her, asking her to accept him, asking her for forgiveness.  And he’s having a hard time remembering what he’s doing anyway, what he’s running around for.

A memory hits him.  A clone’s memory. _“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Naruto-kun!  Don’t worry about me!!  Just get him!  He hurt the children!”_

The kids.  Hiroto, Mayumi, Erika, Satsuki, Keiichiro.  “This damned _fucker_!” he shouts as renewed clarity surges through his body.  He can’t believe _he forgot_.  He dives underground amidst the watery chaos above.  Not five seconds later, he uppercuts Kaguro’s chin from beneath his feet, tossing the man high enough in the air for another clone to sock a solid one into his stomach so that he’s flying into the building.  He doesn’t get up.

Naruto dissipates his clones, unable to concentrate with his headache.  Sai sends ink snakes to wrap the man up, and Hinata disables his major tenketsu for good measure.

“I’ll go get Shino and Kiba.”  Sai disappears over the building.

Naruto and Hinata are left panting from the exertion next to the passed out man.  

Naruto shakes his head.  He sucks at genjutsu.  For such a short fight, Kaguro really shook him up.  “I’m sorry, Hinata, for taking so long.”

She hums firm disagreement.  “I don’t want..” she pants.  “..to hear you..say sorry to me...ever...again…”  She’s panting for breath with each pause.

“Huh?”

“Do you know...how many...of your clones...ran over...to me?...and said sorry?...”

He doesn’t answer, instead firming his lips together in a tight line of contemplation.  

“Whatever...it is...I forgive you...Naruto-kun…”  She’s looking up at him now.  Her eyes are sincere.  Her hair is tangled, her clothes is muddy, and most importantly, she’s real.  “Do you...want to tell me...what it is you...were apologizing...for?”

He gazes at her.  He should tell her.  He should tell her everything.  Honestly.  His regrets.  His fears.  His messed up feelings.  But what if she...he remembers the loneliness.  The sickness he felt to his stomach when she left him in the genjutsu.  Even if nothing else was real, that hopeless feeling was.

The rest of the team rounds the corner.  Kiba looks dejected.  “I’m sorry, guys, I really fucked up this one.”

“What happened?” Naruto asks, grateful for the interruption.  Too, it was something he was wondering since he first came upon them.

Shino answers.  “We were caught in his genjutsu.  The reason is we were unaware of his true abilities until it was too late.  My bugs were affected, too.”

“This one here fell into his genjutsu a lot,” Sai adds, pointing at Naruto.

“Yeah...if it wasn’t for Hinata reminding me what the point of this mission was in the first place, I would’ve ended up like you guys.”

Hinata shakes her head, obviously too exhausted to respond.  

Naruto watches her lean against the wall for support.  He wants to pick her up and have her rest in his arms.  “Let’s get going.  Hinata fought that guy almost single-handedly and she looks about to pass out.”

“What about this place?” Sai asks.

Kiba frowns.  “It’s got machines and stuff inside.  I think this is where he’s been making those drugs we found in the kids we saved.  No one else is in there.  We’ll report it to the Mizukage.”  Kiba walks over to Hinata, inviting her to lean on him, and she does without complaint.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Watching Kiba help Hinata to the ink bird, Naruto knows that he wouldn’t hesitate to carry Sakura if she needed a little help.  He wouldn’t hesitate to put his arm around Sakura in front of others.  But with Hinata?  He _never_ touches her in front of Kiba and Shino.  They’d notice.  They’d definitely notice something more.  If he so much as brushed her arm, they’d see right through him.  He tempers his unease with the situation, the situation of Kiba being the one to help her.  When it could’ve been him.  It could’ve.  But he shouldn’t anyway.

 

He takes the chance to be alone with Hinata when the ship is quiet.  The children fell asleep quickly, finally feeling safe when the Land of Water disappeared from sight on the horizon.  He leaves the kids’ room and walks down the hall to Hinata’s.  He knocks on the door.

“Come in.”

He enters cautiously to see her lying on the bed with her eyes closed.  

“Am I disturbing you?”

She smiles and shakes her head.  

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay, just a little tired.”

He shuts the door and nods even though she can’t see it.  

“How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?  You mentioned you had a headache earlier?”

“Yeah...it’s gone now.”

“I’m glad.”

He stands there awkwardly, unsure of what he can do for her.  If they were at his place, he’d go and sit beside her on the bed.  Maybe even lie next to her.  He’d trace his fingers lightly near her eyes and ask her if they hurt.  They’re not at his place.  But he pulls a chair up to her bedside and sits.  “Do your eyes hurt?”

“Mmm….they’re just tired.”

He watches her rest.  

Her cheeks dust pink.

He smiles.  “What is it?  What are you thinking about?”

“Ah...it’s just...you’re so far…?”

He blushes, too.  He glances at the door and tries to measure the risk, but it doesn’t seem to outweigh the special feeling that wells up in him at her admission that she wants him closer.  He moves over to her bed and holds her hand.  He wants to kiss her.  So he does.  He leans down and kisses her softly.

Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles at him dazedly.  

“I couldn’t help it,” he admits guiltily, but he’s smiling, too.  

She closes her eyes again and shakes her head.  “It was nice…”  She blushes.  “...I...I like your kisses...”  

His heart feels full, like it did a couple of nights ago as they held hands all the way back to the inn.  As it did when he kissed her goodnight in the hallway.  It’s different--it’s not like when she comes over late and their kisses are foreplay as they undress.  He feels something significant shifting in their interactions, something growing and blooming, something he wants to experience more of.

There’s a rapping at the door.  

He stands up quickly.

“Oh, come in,” Hinata calls.

The door swings open.  It’s Kiba and Shino.

Kiba stares at Naruto for a long second.

Naruto stares back, slightly bewildered by the sudden intrusion.  He breaks the eye contact and looks down at the bed.  “I’ll let you talk to your team, Hinata.  Get some rest, too, okay?”

“Yes, thank you for checking up on me,” she says softly.    

He ducks out quickly, aware that her teammates watch him leave.  He heads up to the deck.

Not long after, Shino and Kiba come up to lean against the railing with him.  They fidget, as if they have something to say, but they say nothing.

Naruto breaks the silence.  “I didn’t get a chance to ask.  How’d you guys find Kaguro?”

Kiba nods.  “As soon as Hinata activated her Byakugan to help locate the children, she noticed the chakra-laced clouds hanging over the valley.  So after we found the kids, we asked around.  Everyone just said it was forests, but Hinata’s eyes were telling us otherwise.  We went to check it out, but got stuck in the genjutsu barrier until Hinata broke us out of it.  We searched the facility and found him doing some sort of experiments.  I think you caught up to us not long after.”

“Geez...so Hinata pretty much carried this whole mission then.”  He feels a little upset that he didn’t do more.

Shino nods.  “Yes, the reason is that the level of chakra control needed for Juuken keeps her somewhat resistant to genjutsu if she’s aware of it.  She can disrupt her own chakra flow at will, and, of course, easily disrupt others’.”

Naruto scratches his head as he stares out at the dark waves under the cloudy sky.  After everything he’s gone through, after all of the training, the battles, _the war_ , he _still_ can’t figure out when he’s in a genjutsu.  Even if he figured out he was in a genjutsu, he can’t say for sure he’d even be able to wake himself up.  Damn, the only time he’s ever woken someone else up from a genjutsu was from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.  And somehow, that doesn’t really feel like it counts.  He hadn’t been stuck in it.  Naruto sighs.  “Hinata’s amazing, isn’t she.”  He looks up and sees the moon breaking through the clouds.  It’s small over the vast ocean, much like a couple of nights ago.  She was certain they would save the children.  And she did.

Kiba clears his throat.

Naruto turns to look at him.

He awkwardly elbows Shino, who just turns a frown at Naruto.  “Naruto.”

That stern voice can’t mean anything good.  “...Yeah?”

“Kiba and I are…”  He frowns even deeper.  “...concerned...about your...relationship...with Hinata.”

He feels his heart stop.  He stands straighter, feigning confusion.  How can they know?  How can they possibly know?  “What are you talking about,” he manages to finally ask when his throat loosens a bit.  “We get along fine.”  He tries to smile.  It’s so fake.

Shino turns to Kiba, and the two are gesturing and shaking their heads at each other in some silent language only teammates who’ve been working together for a long time can possibly understand.  

Kiba throws his hands up in defeat of whatever argument they were having.  He points at Naruto accusingly.  “You smelled like her, okay?  And a couple of nights ago she came over to our room to talk to us, and she kinda smelled like you!  And then….you know.....there was _that_ morning!”  He’s gesturing awkwardly.  His eyes avert to the side at whatever he’s remembering.

Naruto’s brow furrows.  He doesn’t know what to say.  His brain is sending alarms off, he needs to do something, say something to change the subject, but his body stays rooted, his throat closed up.  

Kiba lets out a heavy sigh at his silence.  “That morning,” he repeats.  “After Sakura’s party.”  He taps his nose and raises his brow at Naruto.  “I _know_ Hinata’s smells.  I know what people smell like after...  At first, I wasn’t really sure, but...I can tell when...I can tell, okay.  I didn’t say anything then.  I thought...I don’t know...at the time I just thought maybe something would happen!  But…”  He grimaces.  He shakes his head at the floor.  “Look, _maybe_ , _maybe_ it’s not my business, but I just don’t want you to hurt her.”  His eyes suddenly turn piercing, glaring.  “Don’t you fucking dare play around with her.”

Naruto stands taller at the threat.  He glares back.  Sure, he was wrong _that_ night, but, “I don’t play around with her!  I’d never!”

“Really?!  Really, Naruto?!  You’re not even dating her, but you’re having sex with her?  Or am I wrong?!”

He freezes.  

“You can try to hide it, you can try.  But intimate relations with the same person affects your smell just ever so slightly for the duration of the relationship.  And I’ve known Hinata long enough and well enough to tell the difference!  I know it’s you!  You’re taking advantage of her!”

Naruto shakes his head angrily.  “I’m not taking advantage of her!  Have you asked her about this?!  I’m not playing with her!  I’d never hurt her!”

Kiba pauses and looks at Shino.  Apparently they hadn’t considered asking her.  Kiba shakes his head and turns back to him.  “We don’t need to ask her.  We know how she feels about you.  Either way, something like this will only hurt her in the end.”

Naruto goes silent at those words. _How she feels...about me?  Hurt_ her _?_  His stomach knots at the memory of the genjutsu.  He’s the one who’ll hurt in the end.  “I’d never hurt her,” he repeats, quieter.  

“Do you love her?” Shino asks.

He doesn’t know what to say.  What he’s supposed to say.  He doesn’t know if what he feels for her is love.  The thought of losing her turns him into a distracted mess on a serious mission.  She can make him feel like he’s flying in one second, and then as soon as she’s gone, like he’s crashing and burning.  “I...I don’t know!” he mutters, frustrated.

“You don’t love her?!”  Kiba’s staring at him wide-eyed.

“I don’t know!  I care about her, if that’s what you’re asking!  I care about her a lot!  She’s really important to me!”  He’s breathing hard.  That felt right.  Those words felt right to him.  He repeats it, for good measure.  “She’s _really_ important to me.”

But somehow, that doesn’t seem to be right to Kiba and Shino.  They’re shaking their heads.

“What?  She is!”

“You realize that she’s sacrificed herself for you, right?  She’s nearly died for you twice.”  Kiba’s eyes bore into his.  “We nearly lost her because of _you._ ”

Because of _him._  Naruto knows, and it’s hard and knotted in his chest.  It’s something he actively tries not to think about.  How she flew down into the crater before him.  To protect him.  How Pein flipped her around like a ragdoll hundreds of meters high and slammed her into the ground.  While he lay there, completely, utterly, frighteningly, horrifyingly, _unforgivably_ useless as Pein punctured her.  The pooling of her blood so large, so red, that he drowned in it.  So he threw himself into training.  He worked harder, harder than ever before, so that it would never happen again... “I know,” he chokes out, before his thoughts can lead him to Neji.  “Hinata...she’s amazing, isn’t she.  How she’ll do that without a thought for herself.  Even for someone like me.”

Shino’s expression turns curious.  “You don’t understand. You don’t understand why she did that for you.”

Naruto meets his gaze, considering his words.  He does.  He does know why Hinata would do that.  Because he’s the same way.  He smiles, pained.  “She treasures her comrades.  She loves her village.  She has the Will of Fire.  She’d sacrifice herself for anyone...I’d do the same thing.  I just wish...I just wish she wouldn’t.”  She doesn’t have the Kyuubi’s chakra in her.  She doesn’t have fast healing.  She doesn’t have massive chakra reserves.  But she still throws herself out there against stronger opponents as if she has a fighting chance.  If he’s described as knuckleheaded, he’d describe her as having nerves of steel.  Fearless.  He’s seen her do it time and time again.  When all the odds seemed stacked against this small, shy, quiet girl, she’s somehow always came out of it all _alive_.  

Kiba’s face screws up.  “Naruto, what the fuck.  She loves you.”

“Kiba!”  Shino looks at his teammate.

“What?!  He needs to know!”

 _She loves me…_ He has to remind himself that what he heard and saw in the valley was a genjutsu.  The real Hinata smiles at him.  The real Hinata listens to him and laughs at his jokes.  “...I know.  I know she cares about me.”  He knows Hinata still cares for him, even if it’s his fault Neji died.  Hinata has a bigger heart than anyone he knows.

Kiba stares at him.  “...No, you don’t know.  You obviously _don’t_ know.  What the actual fuck, Naruto, she _loves_ you.”  Kiba throws his hands out to emphasize his words.

His brow furrows.  He doesn’t know?  What doesn’t he know?  “...What are you trying to say?”

“How she thinks of you!  She-”

“Kiba, stop.  That’s enough.”  Shino silences his teammate.

“No, what is it that I don’t know?” he presses.  Naruto stares at them, trying to gather more information from their expressions.  But it becomes apparent that they won’t say anything more.  He tries again anyway.  “What is it?”  He realizes he absolutely must know.  It’s something, he finds, he’s wondered for so long now, but never had the courage or circumstances to ask.  “What does...what does she think of me?”

Shino rubs his forehead as if he might have a headache.  “We can’t tell you.  The reason is it’s something you should discuss with Hinata.”

Naruto looks down, imagining asking Hinata such a sensitive question.  What she would say.   _I’m nice to her.  She admires me.  I cheer her up._  He knows these things.  But does she _need_ him the same way he needs her?  She’s so strong, plus she has the support of her family and her teammates are there to back her up 24/7.  It’s obvious to him that it’s not the same.  What he feels for her, and what she feels for him, it’s not the same.  And he can’t bear to sit through that conversation.  The conversation that would inevitably end them.  He shakes his head.  “I can’t ask her that…”

“You need to, Naruto.  Because she’s seeing suitors, and your...arrangement...with her needs to-”

Naruto jerks his head up to look at Shino.  “Suitors?...like... _suitors_?” he asks, dumbly.  

“Yes, the reason is the Byakugan is a treasured asset.  As a Main House family member with an unsealed Byakugan, the family needs to carefully consider who she will marry.  Even if she’s no longer the heir, the family is still concerned for her safety.”

A swell of nausea slowly overtakes him.  He feels sick.  “She’s seeing suitors?” he asks again, even though he clearly heard Shino’s explanation.

“Yes.  Your _relations_ with her-”

“She didn’t tell me that…”  _She’s seeing suitors?!_  What does that mean for _them_?  What does that mean for _him_?  He’s not ready!  He remembers their kiss under the moon at the harbor.  Only two days ago.  When was she going to tell him?  When she found a guy to her liking?  She was sucking him off only three days ago!  “She’s been seeing suitors?”  He looks at Shino.  At Kiba.

They stare at him.  The two exchange looks, brows furrowed.  They turn back to him.  Kiba nods slowly.  

“For how long?”  He can’t hide the panic in his voice, and he grips the railing hard enough for the wood to splinter.    

“Woah, relax, Naruto.”  Kiba eyes the damaged railing.  

Naruto takes his hand off the railing and works his hands against his pants, instead.  “How long?” he asks again, and he can hear for himself how pitiful he sounds.  He’s sick.  He feels so sick.

“She only mentioned it a week ago.  So maybe for two weeks now,” Kiba answers in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

“Two weeks...two weeks…”  She was gone for a mission two weeks ago.  She didn’t really talk about it with him.  Was it because she was seeing suitors?  “She’s...seeing suitors.”  So that’s it.  He stares at the floorboards.  This is the end.  That’s it.  He rubs the back of his neck and looks at her teammates.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t be a problem.  I already knew that she wouldn’t…”  His tongue feels thick.  His words leave a bitter taste in his mouth.  He smiles.  “I already knew, y’know?  So you don’t have to worry about me causing any trouble.”

“No, that’s not why I brought this up,” Shino says slowly.  “I think it is obvious to us how you feel about her..”  He glances at Kiba.  

Kiba looks at the railing and nods.

“However it seems it’s not obvious to you.  Though I’m starting to wonder if we shouldn’t have brought this up with you at all…”  He glances at Kiba and frowns.  “...I think you should talk with Hinata about all of this once we return to Konoha.”

Shino thinks he should talk to her.  He can’t imagine how it’ll go.  He can’t imagine being able to stay his normal self.  It would be his full-blown ugly self, and he _can’t_ show that to her.  “Yeah…” he says anyway, seeing them looking expectantly at him.

Kiba places a hand on his shoulder.  “Sorry for threatening you, man.  Talk to her.  It’ll work out.”

Naruto stares at Kiba.  He has no idea what can possibly work out.  His situation with Hinata was never made to _work out_.  “I’m gonna...I’m gonna go get some sleep.”  He steps away from them and heads inside.

He stays awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I feel pretty meh about this chapter. It pushed me waaay out of my comfort zone, hardly any fluff or flirting, a whole lot of mission :x I know this chapter doesn't seem like a lot, but it was really hard for me to write the mission. My original plan was to just breeze over it, and they were heading back home already lol, but I challenged myself to detail it out more. It was hard, and, unfortunately, I didn't get a whole lot of satisfaction in completing it :( I like fluff and smut. haha. I hope you enjoyed reading it more than I did.  
> And I especially hope this chapter conveyed the many layers of insecurities behind the way this Naruto acts and thinks.  
> I'll keep trying to write quality chapters that I can be proud of.


	8. Stay Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of angst and lots of smut :)  
> Please enjoy the Naruhina!

_Hinata...I heard that you’re seeing suitors, and so, we...we...need to stop.  I just wish you told me yourself, or told me first...no, I can’t say that!  She doesn’t owe me any explanations._  He doesn’t know what he’s going to say to her, or how he should say it to her.  He decided on the ship that he should bring it up first.  He should talk with her.  It would be too painful to go day-by-day and wait for her to say something.  That would be like watching for tripwire at every step, expecting an explosion at any second.  He inwardly sighs and looks over at her.

She’s flying near him with 12-year old Erika secured behind her on the ink bird.  Erika waves to him and Mayumi and Hiroto, who are sitting behind him.

Mayumi and Hiroto shout their hellos.  

Hinata notices and turns to look.  She shines a beautiful smile directly at him.

He feels like someone got a spade and is digging a hole into his chest.  How can she smile like that at him?  She should have said something.  She should have at least let him have some period of mental preparation.  He’s not ready.

He’s not ready to talk to her.  He doesn’t know what he can say that doesn’t make him sound needy and possessive.  But everytime he glances at her, he can’t help thinking that it’s not fair.  It’s not fair that she’s so pretty.  It’s not fair that she’s so nice.  It’s not fair that she’s so good to him.  It’s not fair that she’s so strong and heroic.  It’s not fair that she’s _Hinata_.  How can he let her go?  How could she expect him to let her go when she’s been making him feel so good, making him homemade bentos, and, not to mention, saving his life?  It’s not fair.  How can she expect him to go back to living all alone with no one to look forward to seeing and holding in the long, late hours of the night?  What’s worse is he thinks she knows.  She’s too nice to say anything to him and decided to just reveal it all at once, like ripping a bandaid off (more like blowing his arm off).  He gulps down the knot in his throat and focuses ahead.

 

Checking the children in at the entrance gate, dropping them off at the Konoha Hospital for a final evaluation, and reporting their findings to Kakashi take too little time.  He still has no idea what to say to her.

Once they leave the Hokage Mansion, Hinata begins walking in the direction of the compound.

He gathers what feels like a lifetime’s worth of courage and calls out to her to wait.

She stops and turns with that adorable little smile.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to do this.  He already feels sick to his stomach, like he’s going to vomit.   _How_ can she look at him like that?  How is it fair that she made him like this?  She made him like this!  Doesn’t she need to take some sort of responsibility?  It’s not fair.

He notices Kiba and Shino looking.  They abruptly turn back around and head off, leaving just the two of them.

He needs to talk to her.  It’ll hurt less if he tells her they have to stop.  If she tells him, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.  He’s already not handling this.

She’s walking back toward him with a curious expression.  “Naruto-kun?”

He can’t make eye contact with her.  He can’t even look at her face.  It’s not her fault.  None of this is.  It’s his own damn fault.  He shouldn’t have kissed her.  That night.  He shouldn’t have even taken her home with him.  He should’ve taken her back to the compound.  Like a good friend would’ve done.  Why did he do this to himself?  He did this to himself.

“Naruto-kun?  What’s wrong?”

“Hinata...we…...”  He’s having trouble breathing.  “...we,” he starts again after a long pause.  “We need to talk.”

Her brows raise.  She nods. “O-okay.  Here?...or…?”

“Maybe...back at my place?” _Where I can cry by myself when this is all over._  Like in the genjutsu.  Like the pathetic case he is.  

“Okay.”

He takes off back to his apartment, unable to drag this out a second longer.  He doesn’t look back to see if she’s following, but when he arrives at his door, she’s only a few steps behind him.  He unlocks his door noisily, his heart hurting so bad, his fingers and arms are aching for emotional release.  He kicks off his boots and walks quickly into the living room.  He turns around to look at her.

Her brows are furrowed, her mouth turned down in a worried frown.  

He doesn’t want her to look like that.  He doesn’t want her to look like that ever, but what about him?  Does she care if he’s sad?  Well, she probably does, but does she care as much as he does about her?

She comes up to him slowly.  She waits, looking into his eyes, searching his expression.  After a minute or so of silence, she whispers, “...Naruto-kun?”

“You’re seeing suitors.”  The words come out louder than he expected from himself.  The tone just slightly accusing, already more than he wanted to convey.  He doesn’t want her to know his ugly side.

Her eyes widen in understanding.  “...Kiba-kun and Shino-kun told you?”

He nods.  He stares at her, willing her to explain herself.  

“My family is ordering me to meet them.”

“Shino told me that already.”  He sounds so petulant.  He hates himself.

She tilts her head as she looks at him.  “Naruto-kun...I don’t like them.  I’m just doing it to satisfy my grandfather’s wishes.  He’s old, and he doesn’t understand how things work these days.  My father told me that I just have to meet a few for the next couple of months to make my grandfather happy, and it’ll be over.”

 _That doesn’t mean you won’t…_ “But what if you…”  He averts his eyes and stares at the carpet.  He feels like a small child.  Once again, acting insecure and weak in front of her.  Why can’t he just let her go?

“I don’t like them.  Naruto-kun…”  She moves, trying to get him to look at her.  

He looks stubbornly away.  “You might, y’know, meet someone…”  He feels a wave of nausea fill him.  What if that gives her ideas?  Maybe she hadn’t considered that she might meet someone she likes!  Now he’s just making things worse for himself.

He can see her shaking her head in his periphery.  “I don’t feel anything for them.  I don’t want to be in an arranged marriage.  I don’t know them.  I can’t know what they are truly like just from a few meetings.  And, more importantly, they don’t know me.”

He allows himself to look at her.

Her features soften from worry at meeting his eyes.  “They don’t know what I’ve gone through.  They don’t know how I used to be, and how I am now.  No amount of meetings would help them to see everything that makes me _me_.”

He stares at her, taking in her sincere smile.  

She blushes.  “I want to choose who I marry.  I want it to be natural...not because someone told me to.”

He can feel hope rising in him.  That maybe things aren’t over, yet.  He squashes that feeling down.  “Still...you might...meet someone.”

She shakes her head again calmly.  “No, I won’t.”  She’s blushing and looking at him.

“You won’t?”

“No,” she says simply.

Hope unfurls.  He looks away from her pretty eyes.  “How do you know you won’t?”  It’s a needy question, but he’s already past the stage of embarrassment.

She looks at him.  She’s silent.

Concerned by her silence, he looks back at her.  

Her cheeks are rosy, and she looks so cute, it makes him feel helpless.  

“...How do you know you won’t?” he repeats.

Her eyes flit around, avoiding his gaze.  “I just know I won’t..”  Her eyes suddenly lock on his.  “-y’know,” she whispers.  She blushes a small smile at using his verbal tic, and she looks away again.

His mouth twitches.  He tries not to smile at how cute she’s acting.  

She smiles at him shyly.  

He finally allows himself to relax.  All of the tension he had been feeling dissipates into nothing.  He was worried for nothing.  True, what they are doing might not last for much longer, but...the way she’s smiling at him.  It makes him feel good.  “...Sorry...for getting all…”  He shakes his head.

She continues smiling.  “Oh no…”

He can’t help smiling, too, in his embarrassment.  

“I should have mentioned it to you…”  She looks up at him apologetically.  “I didn’t mean to make you...um...worry.”

His smile falls.  He doesn’t want to say that she should’ve told him, but that _is_ how he feels.  

“And...I’m sorry about Kiba-kun and Shino-kun...I didn’t mean for them to tell you...I only told them because I couldn’t go on a team mission, since I had to meet someone that day…”

He looks away.  He really doesn’t like it that she has to meet these guys.  Who are these guys anyway?  He feels like he has a right to know, when he knows that he really doesn’t.  “...Yeah...they told me last night.”

“I’m sorry.”  She sounds so sincerely apologetic, it makes him feel bad.  He’s the worst kind of guy.

“No, it’s okay.”  Hell, no, it’s not.  He can’t help this feeling.  He can’t stop it.  “Just...maybe next time...tell me...y’know?...”  He hates himself.  He doesn’t have any right to know who she’s seeing or what she’s doing.  Why can’t he control this?  Why is he like this?

She nods earnestly.  “I’ll tell you.  I’m sorry.  But really, Naruto-kun…”  She blinks rapidly and looks into his eyes.  She bites her lips for a second.  Her fingers twist together.  Her nervous habit.  “I...I don’t care about anyone else.”  Her head tilts just so as she gazes up at him.  

He stops breathing.

She suddenly looks away, squeezing her hands.  

It’s because she says things like this.  These words, the things she does for him, the way she looks at him.  Humoring his selfishness.  Catering to his completely unnecessary demands of her.  It makes him feel like he’s losing his mind over her.  It makes him feel like she…

He pulls her hands apart into his own.  He wants to kiss her.  He wants to kiss her and never stop.  He wants her to say his name in breathy gasps in his ear as he makes her feel everything _he feels_ for her.  He doesn’t know what else to do or how else to express everything.  He was so sure that this was all over.  And now...and now…

He leans down and presses his lips against hers.  It sends a thrill through him unlike anything else.  He shakes his head slightly in disbelief at how wonderful she feels and kisses her more.  He pulls her hands to make her step closer to him.  He moves to draw his arms around her.

“Wait…”

His heart drops.  Wait?

She’s blushing.  “I’m really dirty and gross.”

Oh, he is, too.  He realizes now that he’s panting for breath.  They hadn’t even been locking tongues.  He swallows his impatience.  “You wanna...take a shower?”

She nods.

“You can take a shower here.”  His voice is low.  He can’t even stand straight.  He just wants to be close to her.

“...oh...I guess I have my extra mission clothes with me…”

He’s looking at her lips, distracted by how soft they look.  He kisses her again and licks at her lips, inviting her to open her mouth.

Her hands come up to his chest.  “Wait,” she whispers, pushing him away slightly.  “I’m really dirty.”

He frowns, trying to get himself to act normal.  “Yeah, me, too…”  All he wants is to undress her and take her.  Now that he knows that she’s not going off with some other guy, he wants her more than anything.  He leans down to kiss her again.

“We could-” she interjects before he can kiss her.  She blushes.  She starts again, softer.  “We could take a bath together?”

His eyes widen at the suggestion.  

She’s blushing so hard, she’s almost red.

He smiles mischievously.  “I can help you get clean.”

She scrunches her face, suppressing a smile.  “Naruto-kun!” she reprimands.

They’ve never showered together before.  She has used his shower quickly in the mornings to wash his scent off before meeting Kiba (apparently, this was all wasted efforts), and it’s not like he was never tempted to join her, but he’s always controlled himself in her rush to meet her team.  

He watches her undress.  She pulls her tunic off, revealing the skin-tight mesh armor tank beneath.  She shimmies this off, too, and her dark blue hair cascades down smooth, white skin, just above her panties.  She steps out of them, and he can see her wide hips and soft, round ass without obstruction.

He already has a hard-on.  She’s so beautiful, so sexy.

She turns to look at him, and her eyes go down to his erection.  She blushes.  “A-already?”

“Yeah, I can’t help it.”

“But...I want to get clean.”

“And I’ll help you get clean.”

She tries to hide a blushing smile.  She turns away and enters his shower.  

He climbs in after her.  He’s happy.  So happy.

Rivulets of water stream down her curves.  Her wet bangs are pulled on the side, exposing her face.  Her breasts are perky, pointing at him as she washes the soap out of her hair.  

He wants to touch her and touch her and touch her and have sex with her.  How can she show her body off to him like this and expect him to not do anything?  He places his hands firmly on the slope of her hips and draws her to him.  He kisses her and invades her mouth with his tongue.  “Hinata..” he murmurs against her lips, enjoying the feeling of her soft breasts on his chest.

“Naruto-kun…” she whispers back.

He smiles at her ready response.  So she is in the mood.

Her hands hold his shoulders.  Her tongue tangles with his.

He presses his arousal to her hip.

She draws away from him, to his disappointment.  “I still need to wash my body.”

“I can do that for you.”  He smiles.

She blushes.  “I-I can do it myself.”

He watches her lather herself for a moment before getting ready to wash the dirt and sweat off his own body.  He turns to look at her again.

Her eyes widen and she turns away, blushing.  

She was checking him out.  He smiles, happy for the attention, happy that she wants to see him, too.

Every so often, he catches her glancing at him, aware of his gaze.  She blushes self-consciously.  Soapy bubbles cover her skin.  She looks so touchable.  

He wants to touch her.  He wants to press himself all over her so that they’re both covered in each other’s bubbles.  

“I can do your back, Naruto-kun.”

He comes out of his lewd daydream to see her shy smile.  “Oh...okay, thanks.”  He turns around.  He can feel her lightly washing him.  Her motions go down his lower back, but stop above his butt. She works her way back up, washing his neck and his shoulders, too.  Her bare hand presses against his back.  This feeling.  Rather than arousing, it’s different. Warming and intimate in a different way.  He turns to look at her.

She peeks around him and smiles.  

He smiles back.  “Can I do yours?”

“Mmm...okay.”

He soaps her back.  She already did it, but he makes sure to follow every curve of her shoulder blades, spine, and waist.  So strong, yet so small.  She’s small compared to him.  He smiles, washing her round butt.

She turns a disapproving expression at him.  

He smiles cheekily.  They’re clean now.  There’s nothing stopping him from touching her.  He draws his hand up her stomach.  His fingers slide into the valley of her breasts and he cups one.  She’s so slippery and soft.  He nibbles on her ear and sucks kisses down her neck.  He drops the cloth and sneaks his other hand down her hip between her legs.  He finds her clit and rubs it.

“Mmmm...Naruto-kuun,” she whines, wiggling in his hands.  

He squeezes her breast and pinches at her nipple.  He licks at her skin and pulls at her ear between his lips.  “Yes, Hinata?” he breathes.

She moans.  

He can feel her getting wet for him.  He slides her arousal over her nub and continues to circle his fingers there.  He plays with her soapy breasts, squeezing them, running his palm over her hardened nipples.  He catches her lips in a heated kiss when she turns to him.  Having her, all of her, in his arms, against him, is nice.  It’s so nice.

She turns around to kiss him better.  Her hands come around his neck.  She rubs her body against his, allowing her nipples to slide over his chest.  Her tongue swirls with his, and her breath is warm on his lips.

He cuddles her in his arms.  His hands slide all over her back, finally settling around her waist and her ass.  He squeezes her, rubbing his hand over her full skin multiple times before curving under to her slippery womanhood.  He fingers her, and she arches even more into him to allow his fingers entrance.  He pushes a finger into her wet folds.

She shakes in his arms.  Her moans are breathy, needy.  “Naruto-kuun,” she whines again.

He breaks the kiss to look at her.

Her eyes are hooded.  Her gaze cloudy. Her lips pouty, and her voice airy.  

He for sure thought he’d never see her like this again.  He was so certain that he’d never hear her say his name so sweetly again.  That he’d never see her looking up at him again as if he’s the only person to exist.  What he feels for her.  What he feels about them being together like this, in his shower, naked and trembling for each other.  What he feels.  She doesn’t know how much he feels for her.  He kisses her passionately, pressing her against the tiled wall, wishing she might know and accept it.  “Hinata,” he groans.  “You feel so nice.”  He wants her.  He wants more from her.  More than she can give.

She presses kisses on his neck and shoulder as his length rubs between her legs.  She meets his lips again.

He kisses her hungrily, pleasure building in him just from being between her lush thighs.  He forces himself to stop.  He looks into her pearl eyes, his heart beating furiously at what he sees there.  If it’s just an illusion of his mind, if it’s just his mind conjuring what he wants to see, he doesn’t care.  The devotion, the desire, he wants that from her.  He wants her.  He wants her to give him even more.

She turns around and bends over, her soft butt protruding out toward his thick erection.  She’s arched against the wall.  She looks back at him, biting her lip.

She wants him here in the shower.  Now.  He wastes no time grabbing her hips and spreading her silky folds with his slick cock.  

Her walls resist his intrusion, hugging around his enlarged tip as if she’s never been penetrated before.  

“You’re so tight, Hina…” he groans.  He draws out and pushes in shallowly, repeatedly, letting her body remember him as he sinks a little deeper each time.  By the time he’s finally sheathed within her, they’re both shaking.  “Oh, Hina…”  He pulls out slowly, breathing harshly at how her tight passage sucks on his dick, clinging around him as if to prevent him from leaving.  Once only the head remains hidden in her, he slowly drives forward, splitting her soft skin apart to wrap around his raw member snugly.

She’s gasping, her mouth permanently open.  Her eyes are squeezed shut as he thrusts deeply into her small, sexy body.  “Oohh, Naruto-kuuun…” she moans, as he sinks into her.

“Hinata..you feel so good.”

Her ass wiggles, inviting him in further.

“Ohh.”  His heart rate picks up, watching her tremble around him.  He grips her hips firmly and draws out, only to slam back in.  

She rocks forward, her body arching against the wall.  She lets out a gasp and a seductive hum of pleasure.

He continues the pace, pulling out and pushing into her deliberately deep and hard.  He watches her skin ripple with the impact, each bounce of her butt against him satisfying and exciting.  Her swaying back and forth with his jerky motion hypnotic and arousing.  His hands squeeze at her wide hips, slide over her smooth, wet skin, and grasp at her heavy breasts.  He rolls his fingers into the plush flesh, letting her skin fill the spaces of his hands, rubbing his palms against her pert nipples.

She gasps loudly, arching into his hands even more, pressing her hot womanhood down around his hard shaft.  

He groans, working himself into her faster.  She’s so soft and sexy.  Her airy voice and needy moans fill his mind, and he can’t stop.  He squeezes her breasts, gripping them for leverage to penetrate her as deeply and as hard as possible.  

“Ah, ah, Naruto-kun…”

“Hinata...Hina...ugh…”  He shoves himself into her, his thrusts growing erratic and increasingly rough.  He wants her.  He wants to have her all day and all night, crying his name breathless, wanting him and needing him.

She falls forward out of his hands to brace herself against the wall.

He doesn’t let up.  He clutches her hips and drives hard into her, each pull and tug on his heated skin sending hot bursts of pleasure flaring through him.  “You feel so good...oh...Hina..oh..”

She moans in response.

He rams into her, wishing to go deeper into her, to fill her with his engorged dick over and over.

“Naru..to..kuuuun,” she gasps seductively.  “So...hard…ah...”  Her voice is breathless.  Her soft cries rise and fall with his thrusts.

It’s so sexy.  The way she moans his name turns him on beyond reason.  “Hina…ugh…”  He works into her at a rapid pace.  He throws his head back and closes his eyes, his senses zeroing in on her cushiony flesh massaging his throbbing member.  

“Please...oh...harder…ah..ah...haa...more...please...”

She’s never asked him to go harder before.  She’s never asked for more from him. His mind spins and blanks with lust.  His gut turns with overwhelming desire.  He lets out harsh breaths, gripping at her hips and waist, pounding into her as hard as he can.  He moans.  Ecstatic pleasure sharpens dangerously.  “ _Hina_ ,” he groans.

“Oh.. _yes_...oh…”

Her moaned approval has him edging on climax.  He locks his jaw and he tenses, shaking with the need to release himself in her.  He grinds deeply in her, trying to stop himself from ending things too soon.

She presses against the wall, pushing backwards onto him, shaking her ass, enticing him to move.

He lets out a shout at the stimulation.  “Hinata, you’re gonna make me come,” he warns hoarsely.  His nerves are on fire.  His firm length extends into her quivering, searing heat deeply, the connection between them so hot, so sensitive, he feels like he’s melting into her.

She doesn’t listen.  Her butt shakes and rubs against his crotch.  Her hums of pleasure and moans of his name are too much for him.

The sight of her trembling in his hands has him pulling out and driving back into her urgently, roughly, giving her what she wants.  Her cries of absolute pleasure are all that he can hear as he bucks into her powerfully, concentrating solely on the melding of their bodies.  He’s consumed by the flames of euphoria, licking up his body, scouring his mind.  He pulls her hips to him, keeping her from moving, and he forces his release to flood her tight walls.

Hinata clenches around him, encouraging each spurt of his semen.  When he finally has nothing left for her, she stands straighter and turns around, throwing her arms around his neck.  She pulls him down to meet her lips and initiates a deep, hungry kiss.

He feels high.  He’s never felt her want him so intensely.   _She needs me_.  It’s wrong.  It feels so terribly good.  The thought that she wants more from him, that she needs more from him, clutches at his chest painfully.  He doesn’t want to think about how he’s setting himself up for an awful fall once she leaves.  She feels so good.

Her tongue pushes against his as her fingers pull at his hair.  Her curves mold into his embrace. She sucks and nibbles on his lip, then slowly raises her clouded gaze to meet his.  Her eyes are hazed with want.  “Naruto-kun?” her voice purrs.  “Are you...done?”

He catches what sounds like a hint of distress.  It twists in him, burning within him.  He’s not done.  Nowhere near done.  He leans into another kiss and he squeezes her to him.  He wants to hold her tight and sex her senseless.  He wants her spread beneath him as he spreads himself into her.  “I’m not done with you, Hinata.”

She blushes a smile.  

He fears that he’ll never be done with her.  He shuts the water off and takes her hand, pulling her out of the shower with him.

 

He spoons her, his arm wrapping over her side.  He’s awake now.

The sun sends its last rays through the blinds of his bedroom window.  

They spent at least another hour of the afternoon in passionate sex.  Exhausted, they both passed out.

Now, he just lays there, basking in a fog of comfort and calm.

She eventually wakes, too.  She turns over to face him.

He doesn’t say anything, not wanting to break the spell of the moment.  

They cuddle together for longer until the room is shadowed in dusky grays.  

“I...I think I should check in at home,” she voices quietly.

Unbidden, he holds her tighter.  He wants to tell her to stay with him.  The words are on the tip of his tongue.  How many times before has he wished to tell her to stay?  To not go home, to not go to her team, to just...not go?

She sits up, extricating herself from his arms.  

The loss of her warmth is jarring.  He already misses her.   _Stay, stay, stay with me.  Stay with me._  He watches her hesitate from getting off the bed.  He sits up, taking her hand into his.  He can’t say it.  He could.

But she could also reject him.

Baring his feelings to her like that.  Asking her to stay with him, and then what if she easily said no?  What if she easily left him, even though he’s never asked her to stay when she’s made to leave before?

Her hand comes up to his cheek.  “What’s wrong?” she whispers.

“Hinata…” he starts.  His heart beats uncomfortably hard.  “Hinata, I…”  He used to be able to tell her his feelings so easily.  He used to be able to confide in her his fears, his worries.  Since when did he become speechless around her?  Since when did he become afraid?

She waits patiently, looking into his eyes steadily.  

Her naked form, surrounded by his blankets, reminds him that they’re closer than ever before.  That really, besides his bond with Sasuke, he has never connected with anyone so closely.  He should be able to tell her anything, right?  “I…” _want you to stay._

Her brows raise in expectation.

“I...was wondering what you think of me.”  That’s not what he thought he was going to say.  “I mean...nevermind that.”  He looks away, embarrassed.

“I think...”

He looks up quickly, betraying to her how much he actually wants to know.

Her expression is warm, soft, and gentle.  “..you’re wonderful.”

He scrunches his face in distaste.  “No, like…” He doesn’t know how to explain what he wants to ask.  “Why? Why..do you...do this with me?”  He frowns, realizing it’s practically the same question he asked her a few months ago.  What did she say that time?  He can’t really remember, he just knows that he didn’t want to pry anymore.  Well, damn it.  Here he is, prying.

She blushes and looks down.  “Um, because..”  Her eyes turn up to his slowly, then avert once more.  “Because I…”  Her brows furrow and she looks at him.  “Then, can I ask…”  She bites her lip.  “Why do you do this with me?”

He feels like he got hit with a flash bomb.  He blinks, trying to think, trying to form words.  His mouth opens, and he shuts it stupidly.

Her expression softens.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“What-..no..I…”

“It’s okay, Naruto-kun.  I was just being greedy...I don’t want to rush you.”

He stares at her, confused.   _Greedy?_  “What do you mean?”

She just shakes her head slightly.  “I want to do this with you, Naruto-kun.”  She blushes more.  “You’re wonderful.”  She smiles.

He concentrates on her earnestly.

“You’re sweet and kind.  You believe in me and encourage me.  You’re gentle with me.  I..”  Her voice trails off, and she gazes at him.

Her words are soothing, filling in his insecurities.  Yet he still wishes for more.  He’s the greedy one.  Yet, she doesn’t continue, and in the silence between them, he finds his voice again.  “You, too, Hinata.  You’re so…”  He quirks a smile.  “Sweet and kind.  You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met.  When I’m with you, I feel so...comfortable.  You’re so comfy.”

She looks at him with curiosity.

“I dunno.  You’re so nice to hug and you’re all soft and sexy..”

Her eyes widen and she flushes adorably.  

He smirks.  “What?” he asks quietly.  “How can I resist you...especially when you’re all naked like this..”  He pulls her back down to the bed and hovers over her.

She doesn’t try to get up again.  She lays beneath him with a small, embarrassed smile.  “You’re sexy, too, Naruto-kun,” she says, barely above a whisper.

“Hm?”  He smiles.  He heard her, but he wants her to elaborate.

Her eyes lower away from his sneaky gaze.  Her hand comes up and gently squeezes his bicep.  Her cheeks are pink.  She glances back at him demurely.  “You’re strong.”

He can’t help himself.  So what if they just spent all afternoon fucking?  He moves himself between her legs and positions his stiffening excitement at her entrance.  He kisses her, prepping both of them for another round.  So much for asking her to stay.

With her body stretching beneath him, her breath and whispered moans on his lips, and her hands stroking the lines of his muscles, he knows he’s in trouble.  

He’s _been_ in trouble, for the last many months he’s been a complete goner for her.  He kisses her, ravishing her lips and tongue enthusiastically.  “I thought…”  He works himself into her and shivers.  “..you had to go home?”

She looks so completely flustered, it’s funny.  “N-Naruto-kun..” she breathes.  “I did…”

He stills.  “Then why didn’t you?”  His expression cocks into a smirk.  He’s in so deep.  Deep in her.  Deep in trouble.   

“B-because...mmm..”  Her passage squeezes around him, as if begging him to move.  

He obliges.  He closes his eyes as he feels her little hole massage his length, sending waves of pleasure up his spine to spread through his chest and arms.  His hands tingle with the stimulation, and he rocks into her with a steady pace.

She grips him closely.  Her breath catches in quiet pants.  Her hips move with his as his member slides through slick arousal.  

He lets out a quiet chuckle at feeling her climax so soon.  He sits up to kneel and looks down at her body laid out on the bed, moving in time with his thrusts.  He holds onto her legs, keeping her close as he pierces her repeatedly.  He drops his gaze to see his hardened dick disappear into her smoothly and reappear shiny with her wetness.

She moans quietly.

“Why didn’t you?”  

“Ah..Naruto-kun!”  She shakes her head.

“Why didn’t you go home?”  He bites his lip and thrusts faster into her soaking folds.  

Her body flexes and jumps with his timing.  “B-because…” she gasps.  She moves her legs up to his shoulders, and the tightening around his member makes his eyes roll back.

He maneuvers her leg to close together with her other leg on one shoulder.  She’s tight.  He loosened her up and now she’s tight again.  It’s exhilarating.  His hand reaches out to palm her breast.  He works himself into her hard, his breath coming out in shudders and gasps.  He pinches and plays with her nipple.

She writhes and shakes against his rocking pelvis.  

“Hinata,” he groans.  He lets her legs down to the side.

She curls.  Her body twists against his pounding.  

He holds onto her thigh and ass for leverage.  He lets out harsh breaths.

“Oh, yes, Naruto-kun, oh, harder…”  She arches. Her boobs tremble and her mouth is parted as she moans.

“Hah...Hina…”  He bends over her full, curvy form and thrusts furiously.  He’ll give her more.  He’ll give her anything she wants.  “Is this what you want?”  His voice is gruff with lust.

“Oh, yes!...more!…”  Her cries are louder than usual.

“More?”  He scrunches his face in concentration.  He’s shaking from the ecstasy riding through his veins and clouding his brain.  

“Yes…”

“Ugh..”  He’s going to come.  He’s going to come hard.  “Hina...you want me to come?”

“Mmm…”

He pushes into her energetically.  “You want me to fill you up?”

“Mm...mhmmm..”

He shoves himself into her so hard that her body moves up the bed.  “Where are you going, huh?”

She whimpers.  “Nowhere,” she pants.  She turns over onto her stomach and pushes her ass up at him.

He eagerly re-enters her.

She’s so tight and wet and amazingly sexy.  Her butt wiggles and pushes against him, unwilling to let him pull out.

He slams into her cushiony cheeks, an unfamiliar need to conquer her uncontrollably bouncy booty growing as his erection swells inside of her.  A new desire to plow her backside entertains his thoughts for a half-second before his mind is whipped back to the present with the sound of her crying his name.  

She’s so wet.  Her juices coat his overly sensitive cock and balls.

All he can think about is soaking her even more with his desire.  His sight flashes white, his entire being overtaken with unspeakable euphoria bursting through his limbs.  He holds her hips up firmly, grinding against her plush ass, reaching into her deeply.  He moans as he lets go, filling her tugging folds with his essence, concentrating on emptying all of himself inside her.

He lays against her back, letting his release catch up with the rest of his tense body.  He smiles. _Three times.  In less than a day._  The pride he feels in taking her so much, in her _allowing_ him to sex her that much, even during the day, gives him a strange sense of incredible satisfaction.  He rolls off of her and holds her close, letting the sound of their slowing breaths lull him back to sleep.

 

By the time they wake again, it’s past dinner.

She giggles at his embarrassment as she checks his fridge, throwing out old foodstuffs.  “I don’t mind having instant ramen,” she says.

He just adores her.  He kisses her as they wait for their ramen.  He cuddles her on the sofa.  He snuggles her in bed.  He whispers her name as he works them breathless. 

He manages to keep her with him for the rest of the night.      

 

But he only grows more spoiled with her over the next several days.  He used to try to hold himself back.  He used to try to control himself.  Now that he knows how quickly their relationship can come to an end, he knowingly has Hinata indulge him.  He doesn’t care if he looks weak and dependent when he hugs her as she washes the dishes, as she walks down the hallway, as she puts her panties back on, as she straps her sandles on.  He doesn’t care if she has to go visit her sensei in twenty minutes.  He pulls her back to the bed and tries to convince her to open her legs for him again.  Once in awhile, he succeeds.  And what’s worse, or actually, better, all she does is blush and smile at his antics.  She doesn’t reprimand him.  She hugs him back or plants a kiss on his cheek, then blushes some more.  It makes him feel like maybe she feels the same way as him.  Maybe she likes it and wants him to keep kissing her and hugging her.  Maybe, maybe…

 

Maybe she’d be happier without him.  He told himself not to, he really did.  He really kept telling himself to stop and turn around, the whole way to the entertainment district.  Even as he pinpointed her chakra signature, lowered his own presence, and hid up on a roof, he asked himself what the fuck he was doing.

He's spying on her.  She's eating lunch at a cafe with an unknown guy and Hanabi.  

She told him in good faith that she had a meeting today.  She didn’t tell him so that he could watch her like some kind of possessive, needy, clingy, control freak.

He notes how good-looking the guy is.  The kind of guy in the magazines he studied to perfect his Sexy Reverse Harem Technique.  A kind of Sasuke or Sai sort of guy.  The complete opposite of him, basically.  The guy is naturally fair-skinned.  Black hair.  Balanced features.  Naruto turns his attention on Hinata, who looks just as pretty as always.  Her blue hair silky, her white neck graceful, her light eyes shimmery.  All for that guy to look at.

Shame fills him.  What the fuck is he doing.  Why the hell did he come out here.  

Still, he watches with rapt attention as they laugh at something Hanabi says.  As the two of them smile good-naturedly at each other.  It hurts more than it should.  She shouldn't smile at a guy like that.  Doesn’t she know that she’ll attract him if she so much as looks at him?   _Don’t smile at him, Hinata…_

What the fuck is he doing.  He turns over and stares at the sky.  She promised that she wouldn’t find someone else through an arranged meeting.  He frowns.  He trusts her.  But he can’t trust that guy, he reasons to himself.  What if he likes her so much, he keeps going after her?

He turns back over, in time to see Hanabi exiting the cafe.  It’s just Hinata and that guy now.  Alone together in a cute cafe.  

Why didn’t Hanabi stay with them?  Doesn’t she know that if she leaves them together like that, he’ll start coming on to Hinata?  Hanabi should be more protective of her older sister!  Now he really has to stay.  To make sure nothing bad happens.  If something does, he can swoop in and save her.  Or something like that.  Hinata doesn’t need saving, but the idea is kind of nice.  He can at least punch the guy in his pretty face.  Pretty guys never have good personalities.  Look at Sasuke and Sai.  No doubt this guy’s just as douchey as them.  

He watches, searching for proof.  But Hinata just smiles and nods pleasantly.  He furrows his brow in concentration, wishing he could hear what the guy is saying.

Now Hinata’s talking.  Her eyes flit up as if she’s remembering a story, and her lips spread into a beautiful smile.   _Don’t smile at him!_

He drops his head and stares at the concrete beneath him.  Really, what the fuck is he doing.  However, the thoughts don’t stop. _She shouldn’t smile at him.  She shouldn’t smile at him!...She should smile at me.  I can make her happier than that guy. Why doesn’t she just say bye to him already and leave him?  They’re done eating, so why isn’t this meeting over?  What if she likes him?  What if she changed her mind?  I bet I’m funnier and nicer and better.  She said I’m nice.  I can be the nicest guy she’s ever met._

He looks up and stares at them.  The guy is leaning toward her, and her head is tilted in curiosity at his words.  

He frowns.  There’s just no way that guy is good-looking _and_ interesting.  How can anyone be that perfect?  He can show Hinata.  He can show Hinata that he’s better than that guy.  He can be the most interesting, most nicest, most coolest guy she’s ever met.  And then he can be the one basking in her attention and smiles.  She’d never want to leave him.  He’d never have to coax her back to bed with him.

He knows how ridiculous he’s being.  He’s being a complete idiot.

He sees the guy gesturing as he’s telling a story.  Hinata seems to let out a small giggle.

He can be better than that guy.  He leaps off the building and dashes to the barber for a quick trim.  He’s been due for one anyway.  He comes out feeling fresher, but immediately puts on a transformation to avoid getting unwanted attention.  He looks through the vendors and spots a hairpin.  It’s pretty, not too flashy, not too large.  She’d look nice with it on.  He buys it unthinkingly.  He stops at the dango shop to get her a box.  Maybe they can share it later tonight.

As he sits waiting for his order, he hears Hinata’s soft voice lilt through the air.  

“Did Hanabi bring you here?”

“No, she didn’t.”  His voice is disgustingly smooth.

“She likes the sweets here, and they have the best in the village.  I’m surprised she didn’t show this shop to you.”

Naruto abruptly turns to look at them.  They stand near him, gazing at the sign, deciding what to buy.  Hinata pays him no mind.  He remembers he’s still in his transformation.  He looks down at the table, brows furrowing in worry.  He feels like a rock is sinking down his throat, down his chest, into his stomach.  Are they going to share dango here together?  Then there’s no point in him bringing home any.  Other than to eat it by himself.  And that would just be fucking pathetic.

What the hell is he doing?

He stands up, leaving in a rush.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ , he asks himself again.  His heart hurts.  He’s running around, acting like a complete fool.  He’s a complete fool for Hinata.  And he hates it.  He hates how he is now.  Acting cowardly.  Making stupid decisions.  Bumbling through missions.  Stalking her.  Wasting money on trinkets she’d never wear anyway.  She’s a shinobi, who can take care of herself.  She wears simple clothes.  She wears her hair down.  She spends her time baking, flower-pressing, and training.  She doesn’t care about hairpins.  She probably doesn’t even care about good-looking guys.  He knows she was probably just being Hyuuga-polite.  She said so herself.  These suitors don’t know her.   _What the hell am I doing?_

He sinks into his couch at home.  The way he is right now isn’t his best self.  Hinata used to bring out the best in him, but now he’s just the worst.  He’s just the absolute worst when it comes to her.  Following her around, like he’s sick.  Hanging on to her and touching her any chance he gets.  No better than the Ero-sennin.

This needs to stop.  All of this needs to stop.  He stares blankly at the wall.  It’s for his own good.  Hers, too.  Neither of them grieve at the graveyard anymore, anyway.  

After tonight, they can both move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if I disappointed any of you last Saturday v_v . Believe it or not it's possible to get writer's block in the middle of a smut scene lol.  
> Please look forward to more development in chapter 9!  
> Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Also...the other reason my update was late was cuz...I was reading other people's fanfics xD There was a whole slew of wonderful NH fanfic updates in the past week, and I just had to read them all. In case you are always craving more NH the way I do, these are the ones that sucked me in:
> 
> Bathwater by diceysmiles - It's NaruHina & semi-platonic SasuHina. Hard to tell what direction the storyline will go in, but a very smutty and interesting read in the meantime.
> 
> Time Travel Lovers by EmpressAelin - crossposted from Wattpad. Interesting storyline and really quite fluffy.
> 
> Team 8 & Stellar Interview by Journalist298 - Hinata kicks butt as a spy in these paired one-shots, and it's amazing.
> 
> Tainted and Possessed by cafrye017 - one of my absolute faves storyline-wise. No Hinata, yet, though, but I imagine I'll love it even more when she does make her appearance.
> 
> Two (2) Hands (Just Want to Hold your Hand) by claireandelide - sooo cuuute.
> 
> put on your warpaint by borzbois - crossposted from ff. if you have not yet read this story, what are you doing?? Go read it.


	9. Nightingale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy the NaruHina smut x)

Her eyes are all wide and sparkly.  Her mouth is turned up in a little happy smile like she’s looking forward to something wonderful.  It makes his insides melt like butter.

If she’s happy, then do they really need to stop?  And if she makes him happy…

He leads her into his apartment, and she gently holds his arm.  She tilts her face up toward his with that little smile still on.

He knows what she wants.  He leans down, and their eyes close on instinct as their lips meet.  He draws up to see her smile grow wider, and he can’t help smiling in response.  

“You trimmed your hair,” she notes as they head out of the genkan.  

“Oh...yeah..”  He runs his hand through the short locks, remembering why he went in to the barber’s today in the first place.

“I thought you like it short?”

“Ohhh...I do.”

She looks at him thoughtfully, still smiling.  Her eyes turn downwards as she blushes.  “I think you look good...”

All misgivings dissipate.  There’s just no way he can end this.  He brings his hands around her waist and pulls her closer.  “I think you look good,” he repeats back in a low murmur, with just enough emphasis to suggest his intention.  

She shakes her head embarrassed.  Then turns her eyes up toward his gaze.  Her hands come up to rest against his body.

He can’t help noticing how happy she looks.  “What’re you smiling about?”  He hopes it’s because of him.

“Mmm...I’m just happy...to be with you.”

He smiles, pleased.  “To be with me?”  Spoiled.  He’s so spoiled with her.

“Mhm.”  She shyly looks into his eyes.  “You know how I had to meet someone today?”

He tries to stop his grimace.  “Yeah...how was it?”

“Oh...it was okay.”

“Hm.  You looked like you were having fun…”   _Oh shit._

Hinata’s eyes narrow in confusion.  “Did you see us?”

“Uh.”  He looks up as he tries to fabricate a story.  “I kind of saw you with him when I went to get my hair cut…”

“Oh.”  She nods.  She buys his excuse completely.  “Takimoto-san wanted to know more about my younger sister.  Since she’s the next head of the family, she took the time to show him around the village.  We mostly talked about her.  I don’t think they would be a good match, though.”

“He wasn’t interested in you?”  What kind of idiot would prefer Hanabi over Hinata?

She giggles as if he said something funny.  “Most people take an interest in Hanabi after meeting her.  She can be very cute and charming without meaning to be.”

He lets out a snort.  “Not more than you.  You’re like the very definition of cute and charming.”

“Umm...I..don’t know about that...”  Hinata blushes deeply and turns away from his gaze.

He cuddles her into a hug.  “Yeah, well, I do.”   _And no one else needs to know._ He squeezes her, feeling her fill the hollows of his body.  

“...I’m just glad it’s over,” she whispers.  “My father told me I don’t have to meet with anyone else.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

He holds her close, hiding his smile against the top of her head.

“I was thinking about you during the meeting.”  Her voice is soft as she rests her head against his chest.

He squeezes her in his arms.  “Yeah?...what about me?”  Only recently she began saying things like that, and it makes his heart spasm.  It makes it impossible for him to let her go.

She hums in thought.  “Your hugs..and kisses…”

He draws back to look at her.  As he expected, a blush tints her cheeks.  

“Your smile…” she continues.  

Doubts, fears, they all settle into the farthest corners of his mind.  “I was thinking about you today, too.”

Her eyes widen.

“I got you something.  It’s nothing special, I don’t think you’ll even like it.”

Her brows are raised with surprise.

His hand dives into his pocket where the hairpin sits.  Stupid, he’s so stupid.  She’ll feel obligated to like it just because he bought it for her.  “Ah…”  He hesitates.  “Don’t feel like you have to keep it.  I just kinda bought it on an impulse…”  And now he’s trying to give it to her on an impulse.  He decided earlier he wouldn’t show it to her.   _What am I doing..._  

“Thank you, Naruto-kun.”  She smiles warmly at him.  “I’m sure that I’ll like it.”

Slightly encouraged, he pulls the pin out.  “You don’t even wear these kinds of things, I don’t know why I bought it, I just saw it and thought it’d look nice on you, y’know, you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to, though,” he babbles.

She takes it from his hand and lets the tiny decorative stones shine in the lamplight.  “It’s beautiful,” she breathes.

He looks at her nervously.

“It wasn’t expensive, was it?”

He waves her question off.  “Nah, it was nothing.”  It was actually more than he thought it would cost, but at the time, saving up for ramen didn’t even factor into his decision process.

She stares at him inquisitively.  

He keeps his expression open, though he realizes a Hyuuga can probably tell the value of such things.

She turns her gaze back down to the hairpin.  “I’ve actually been wanting to get one.”  She secures her bangs up to the side, revealing smooth forehead.  The sight somewhat fascinates him every time.  “While I cook, or especially when I’m working with the deep-fry…”  She pats her hair smooth.  “Um, does it look okay?”  She blushes slightly and bites her lips.

He gulps and nods.  “...You’re beautiful, you know that?”  He has close to no filter around her since their conversations following the Land of Water mission.

She reddens and looks away.  

He gathers her in his arms again.  It’s always like this.  When he’s not around her, he doubts everything.  When he’s with her, it’s like everything is as it should be.  Touching her just feels _right_.  Holding her feels like that’s naturally where he _should_ be.

He kisses her slowly.  It’s sweet, nice...intoxicating.  He’ll never get enough of the mind-numbing sensation of her lips and tongue on his as he explores her curves.  

They lose their clothes at some point between her hands sneaking under his shirt and him leading her to his couch.  

But she leaves the hairpin on.  It’s oddly eye-catching on her naked form, strangely appeasing in knowing that the only thing left on her is something he bought for her.  

He moves to lay her down, but she doesn’t lean back.  

She pushes against his shoulder with enough pressure for him to take the hint.

He sits back and watches her thighs part to straddle his.  He can count on one hand the number of times she’s been on top.  Each time was sexy as hell.  He strokes her legs and waist soothingly, partially to encourage her, partially for his own enjoyment.  

She leans forward and kisses him deeply.  She arches into his lap, pressing her soft breasts against his chest and her stomach against his rigid length.

The slight pressure sets anticipation running through him.  The feeling of her sexy body in his arms has him yearning to be inside her.  

She rocks slightly against him, rubbing his erection.  

He breaks from the kiss, unable to handle the sudden stimulation.  “Ugh..mm..Hinata,” he groans.

She smiles coyly.  She raises her body, positions his large member at her damp entrance, and begins to lower herself onto him.

His breath catches.  He closes his eyes, revelling in the feeling of her folds spreading around him.

But she stops halfway and begins lifting herself up.  

He opens his eyes to watch her.

She lowers herself slowly back onto the head of his penis.

He loses his breath.

She quickly lifts herself up again, the cold air jarring compared to the warmth of her tight womanhood.  She does this a couple more times, and he realizes she’s teasing him.

“Hinataaa…”  

She just smiles sneakily, an expression he rarely sees.  

Despite the torture, he smiles at her playfulness for a moment.  Only for his jaw to drop as his erect member is slowly wrapped in cushiony flesh.

She lowers herself a little more, past halfway.

His abs tighten in anticipation.

She lifts herself off of him.

He lets out a gasp.  He’s panting now, his heart beating uncomfortably fast.  He shakes his head.  “Hinata…” he complains.  His hands press into her hips.  How wrong would it be if he forced her to take him?

She giggles.  Her eyes flash playful.  She continues her torturous pattern.

Tingles of pleasure crawl over his skin.  He lifts his hips as she draws away in a futile effort to stay inside.  “Hinataaaa,” he whines.

“Does Naruto-kun want me?”  Her voice lilts softly.

He opens his eyes to gaze at her teasing expression, so at odds with her innocent voice.  He wants her.  More than she knows.  “Uh-huh,” he manages to verbalize.

“Hmm...really?”  She tilts her head, and her hair spills over her shoulder.  She lifts and lowers herself a couple more times, never going farther than halfway.

He groans.  Any more of this torture, and he might flip her over onto the cushions.

“Does Naruto-kun want me?” she asks again quietly.

He’s panting.  “Yeah...Hinata..I want you.”  As soon as his mouth forms those words, words he’s avoided explicitly saying for a few months now, he feels like something in him unseals.  His heart rings with the implications.  It’s not a need; it’s a _want_ \--desperate, selfish, near-obsessive desire.  He wants her.  For his own.

She smiles, completely unaware of the havoc she’s wreaking on his heart.  He watches as she pierces herself on him.  Her lids are lowered as she envelopes him completely.

They both let out moans of satisfaction when his dick is fully sheathed in her.

She’s so warm and tight around him.  She holds onto his shoulder, while the other hand threads through the hair at the nape of his neck.  She works herself slowly and deeply in his lap.  She leans forward to kiss him.

He swirls his tongue with hers, enjoying the gentle yet pleasurable treatment she’s giving him.  He lightly wraps his arms around her smooth, moving form, and settles at her waist.  His thoughts paralyze with the feeling of her soft lips dominating his own and the building sensations echoing through his body.  

They pause for air, looking into each other’s eyes.

He holds her a little tighter, squeezing her body against his.

Her breasts rub on his chest with every movement.  Her fingers work down his neck, shoulders, and arms, finding the lines of his muscles that he flexes at her touch.

He gazes into her pearly eyes, enraptured by her tender attention.  He imagines that she wants him, too, only him.  He breathes kisses on her lips, and she smiles.  

She’s making him feel so good, so warm.  She’s just so beautiful and sexy.

He palms the curve of her back, and he smiles in return.  So close.  He’s so close to her, and it’s just the two of them.  

“Mm, Naruto-kun,” she purrs.  Her sweet gaze is a fog of white and lavender.

He can feel himself getting lost in her.  “Hinata…” he whispers.  He leans in, and they kiss slowly and deeply.    

She speeds up, her pelvis rocking over his quickly.

His penis stiffens more within her as the pleasure racing up his spine heightens.  “Ugh, oh…”  His moans blend with hers.

She leans against him completely, her face hidden in his neck.  “Mmm...mmm…”  She’s panting on his shoulder, her hot exhalations damp on his chest.  Her hands come down to the base of his hips, and she holds herself up as she bounces on his erection.  

He watches her come apart on him.

She tosses her head back, revealing her neck to him.  Her face scrunches in concentration.  Her breaths come out sharp and fast.  She’s trembling over him.  Her shoulders lock tight, and he presses kisses there at the dips of her collarbone.  Her arms push her quivering breasts together, creating a deep valley of ivory skin that he can’t help himself from burying his face in to lick and kiss.

He pulls his gaze back up toward her tormented expression.  It’s amazing.  He wants her to use him, to find his body and soul irresistible the way he finds her.  For her to work herself into a mess on him, wanting him for her own, not just his body, but his everything.  He’s hers.  She can take him and use him however she wants.  He’d be there for her whenever, wherever.  So long as she wants him and even if she...  He’d do anything.  Anything for her.  “Hinata…” he breathes, his voice shaky as he watches her.  “You’re so...”  His clouded mind scrambles for an appropriate word to capture the deep devotion she’s inspiring in him, his hungry gaze wandering the dips and slopes of her soft, trembling curves.  “...so...so...damn _sexy_.”

“Oh...ahh….haahhh…” she groans quietly in response.  Shivers wrack her body each time she completely envelopes his hard shaft in her wet hold.  Her eyes peek open for a second, unfocused and hazy, meeting his.  “Naruto-kun,” she murmurs, her voice adorably distressed.  Desperate moans barely contained behind tightened lips hum from her throat.  She presses her womanhood against his groin heavily, her hold squeezing and fluttering around him.  

He feels her cum coating him, dripping down his balls.  

She wilts over him.  

From previous experience, he knows that she won’t have the energy to keep going right away.  He hugs her to him, taking all of her weight on his body.  He can hear her breaths in his ear.  He can feel her soft body against him.  He starts thrusting.  His hard length easily slips back and forth between her wet folds.  He presses her down on him, trying to increase the delightful friction of their joined bodies.

She stiffens.  “Ah! Naruto-kun!” she cries out quietly.  She pulls herself up with obvious effort and kisses him messily.  

With her soft curves all around him and in his arms, he can’t focus on making out with her.  He thrusts harder.

Hinata bounces on his lap wildly.  

The sight fills him with intense lust.  He thrusts faster.  Pleasure unfurls all the way to his limbs, and he wants to come, but he forces himself to slow down.  

Hinata sways on his lap, seemingly trying to gain control of herself again.

His mind backtracks to her teasing, and he smirks, feeling her grasping on to him for balance.  He lifts up her full breast, his fingers sinking into her plush flesh, to suck on her dusky nipple.  

“Ohh...ohhh…” she moans.

He smiles at her, pleased, and ducks back down to stimulate her other nipple.  He plays with her breasts, squeezing them together and pinching her, as his slow thrusts make her shake in his hands.  He stares at her blissful expression desperately.  He runs his hands down the curves of her body, rubbing against her back and stomach muscles, finding the smooth jut of her hip bones, squeezing her breasts again, and grabbing her bouncing ass.

She shivers and moans with his touches.  

He knows her body.  He knows what makes her feel good.  No one else knows her like he does.  If only she recognized that.  He licks and sucks at the sensitive spots on her neck.

She turns her head, giving him access.  “Mmm…”

He kisses her back up to her lips. _If only.._.  

She rubs her soft breasts against his chest.

“Hinata, you’re so sexy,” he repeats, a tortured groan.  He shuts his eyes as he focuses on the sensations streaming throughout his body, emanating from his snug member.

“Uh uh...you are...” she breathes back.  He glimpses her gaze sweeping over him. “..sexy…”   

His heart squeezes.  If not the words, just the sound of her sultry voice turns him on even more.  “Ugh...Hinata…”  He shoves himself into her.   _If only she knew, then...Hinata..._  “...I want you so bad.”  

“You..want..me?”  Her voice hitches with each thrust.  

He’s panting as he works to keep his pace up.  “Yeah..damn..it….”  His heart beats hard.  “Fuck..Hinata...I really want you...”  He feels like his heart might burst out of his chest.

“...Naruto-kun..you already..have me…” she gasps.

Her simply-stated words have his brain shutting down and lighting up.  He can see her flushed expression, her face contorted with the intense stimulation between them.   _I already have her...she’s mine._  The forbidden thought has his mind reeling.  He’s panting so hard and uncontrollably, he feels like he could hyperventilate.  But it feels so good.   _Mine._  He hugs her to him, their bodies smashing together.   _All mine._  “Hinata...Hinata…”   _You’re mine!_  

He tries to kiss her, but she lays against him limply.  She’s soaking.

Their groins make lewd sounds as he slows his pace.  “You came again?”

“Mhm,” she replies weakly.

He smiles, proud.  “I wanna make you come all night,” he whispers in her ear.

She shivers.  

He adjusts to lay her down.  The cooler air around his slick penis only emphasizes his burning desires.  He quickly pushes back into her warm, soft entrance, where he belongs, where he feels so good.  She feels so good.  He gazes into her hazy eyes as his hard dick explores her.  “I want you, Hinata…”

“Naruto-kun..you already have me..”

He kisses her hard.   _I have her.  I have her.  She’s mine._  His thoughts spin out of control, and he’s gasping for air in her neck.  He peppers kisses on her skin before lifting himself up once more to look at her.  “Hinata…” he pleads.  He’s fucked.  He’s so fucked.  “Hinata, I want you.”

“You have me...Naruto-kun,” she repeats quietly.  

“Fuck,” he mutters.  He pounds into her. He feels like he might melt into her.  

“Oh, Naruto-kuuunn..” she moans.  “..Naru...to-kuun…”

The sound of his name on her lips has him shaking.  Ecstatic pleasure clouds his senses.  He watches her expression tremble and twist from his grinding with nearly unbearable satisfaction.  “You’re mine, Hinata,” he breathes, barely aware that he said his thoughts aloud.

“Yes...” she whispers.  

“Oh fuck,” he groans.  He shoves himself into her eagerly, holding her tightly.  “You’re mine..you’re mine….oh, Hinata...you’re all mine…”  Her breathy agreements are too much.  He feels himself unravelling at the seams, his mind merely an infinite space, his veins a surging rush of euphoria.  Ecstasy claws over his skin, blooming up his spine.  His engorged piece pulses dangerously within her warm, tight hold, throbbing to claim her for his own.  “Hinata!”

“Naruto-kun..ah!..”

He vigorously works himself into her, speeding over the edge.  Torrents of glorious release flood his senses.  “Ugh!...oh!..ooh...”  He pumps load after load into her soaking folds, trembling with the intensity of his climax.  He holds her tightly, possessively, and presses his spurting dick into her as deep and as far as he can.  

“Oh..ah...Naruto-kun!...”  She curls around him, returning his tight embrace.

He thrusts into her, prolonging her high, even as the adrenaline seeps out of him.   

Her walls pull on him, squeezing every drop out.  She sighs loudly, and all at once, she seems to relax.  Her arms and legs fall off of him.

He breathes heavily into her hair.  He can’t move.  Exhaustion and gradual clarity have him stuck on top of her.  

She lies still beneath him.

His eyelids feel heavy.  All he wants is to snuggle close with her.  But they need to talk.  He fucked up.  He unwillingly drags himself off of her.

She’s sleeping.  

“Hinata…”

“..mm?...”  She barely stirs.

“...Hinata…”

She doesn’t respond.

He remembers that he made her come three times in succession, and that rarely happens.  

Sex with Hinata is amazing.  And it only gets better and better with her.

He doesn’t think he can have sex with anyone else.  He _doesn’t want_ sex with anyone else.

He stares at her sleeping form.  She looks so peaceful.  She looks so nice to cuddle with.

“Let’s go to the bedroom.”

“…”

When she doesn’t move, he picks her up and takes her to his bed.  He climbs in, snuggling close to her and pulling up the covers.

 

He wakes up to find her side of the bed empty.  But he hears her in the kitchen.  He dresses quickly and joins her.

She’s pulling out his pancake mix and bowls.  The morning light always looks good on her.

He wants her.

She said he has her.

But what does she mean?  And does she know what he means?  Does he himself know what he means?

She smiles at him, fixing her hair into a ponytail.  She clips her bangs back and looks at him shyly.  “Naruto-kun, good morning.”

“‘Morning, Hinata.”  He walks over to her and circles his arms around her waist.  “You have time for this?” he asks quietly.

She nods.  

He smiles happily.  He moves to get the measuring cups from the drawer.  

They put together the ingredients and take turns mixing.  Hinata handles the grilling.  She has a better eye for it.

He watches her cook.  His heart aches pleasantly, like it’s full.  He treasures mornings like this with her.  He wishes every morning were like this.  He decides that that’s what he means.  When he said he wants her, he wishes for more times like this with her undivided attention.  More smiles directed at him, more hugs, more kisses, without fear that she’ll go to someone else after.  He wants her for his own.

She said he has her.

For his own?

Would she be okay with that?

Is it okay for him to feel this way?

Or is it wrong?  Are his feelings a terrible mistake?  Could he lose her completely?

She’s so beautiful.  

“Hinata…” he starts.

“Mhm?”  She glances at him and then returns to watching the pan.

“I need to tell you something.”

She glances at him again to show that she’s listening.  “Yes?”

“What I have to tell you...I don’t know if I should tell you…”  He frowns and adjusts his stance.

“...What is it?”  Her expression turns concerned.  “Is something wrong?”

“I..dunno.”

“...You can tell me anything, Naruto-kun.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“Start from the beginning?”

The start.  His “something” is actually many things.  His feelings are all over the place.  “Y’know...the mission to the Land of Water?”

She nods.

“In Kaguro’s fog..in the genjutsu I was under...you told me you couldn’t forgive me…”

She looks at him.  Her eyes show her worry, her confusion.

“You left me because you couldn’t forgive me.”

“Forgive you?”

“Forgive me for failing Neji.”

Her eyes widen.  Her body turns completely to him.  “Naruto-kun!  That, that wasn’t your fault!  Neji-niisan saved both of us!  He did it for everyone’s sake!  It wasn’t your fault!”

“It was completely my fault!”

“Naruto-kun!”  Her voice breaks.

“He wasn’t supposed to die to save me, Hinata!  I failed him, I failed you!  I failed your father and your sister.  I failed Team Guy.  You all say that it wasn’t my fault, but it was!  If I had been paying better attention, or if I had moved differently, he would still be here!”

“Naruto-kun!” she shouts, more commanding, though her eyes are filled with tears.

He quiets.

“It was his decision.”  Her voices shakes, but she’s louder than usual.  “It was his way to break from the Hyuuga’s cursed sealing.  He chose his own freedom.  I miss him.  I miss him everyday.  However I will not allow you to turn his act of liberation into one that..that _shackles_ you with regret!”  She pauses, rubbing the tears from her eyes.  She looks at him sternly.  “He’s free, Naruto-kun.  And that’s all he ever wanted.”

“...Hinata...is death freedom?”

Her face screws up at his words.  She shakes her head hard.  “He’s not dead!  He changed everything for my family!  He was the first Branch member to lead the whole clan!  He led us into the war.  My father stopped sealing the children in honor of his memory and sacrifice.  He’s gone, but he’s not.  If Neji-niisan knew what a difference he has made, I’m certain-”  Her eyes steel.  “I’m certain that he would make the same choice.  Over and over.  There is nothing for me to forgive, Naruto-kun.  I have only endless appreciation for what you and Neji-niisan have done for me, my family, and for the world.”

Her words leave him speechless.  Once again, he’s being a stupid, weak asshole.  And Hinata is the strong one.

“There are days when I wish he were here, Naruto-kun,” she says gently.  “And sometimes I think I’m crazy.  I think I hear Neji-niisan scolding me for being so depressed.  He tells me to stop crying and fussing like a baby.  He tells me to go do something useful and practical, he tells me to go train.”  She smiles.  “Even though he’s gone, he’s still making me work hard.”  She giggles slightly as she says this.

He hugs her.  He holds her to him tightly.

The sizzle of the pan comes into focus.

Hinata jerks in panic.  She breaks out of his arms and quickly flips it with the spatula.  “Ahh, it got burnt.”

“I can eat that one.”

“No, Naruto-kun, it’s not good anymore,” she states with finality.

He pouts.  “Sorry, Hinata.”  For both his stupidity and the wasted pancake.

“Oh no.”  She brushes off his apology easily.  “...So was that what you wanted to tell me?”  

“Umm...that was part of it.”

Her brows furrow.  “If it is anything else having to do with what you think are your mistakes, I don’t want to hear it.”

She knows him too well.  He was going to apologize again for basically raping her that winter night six months ago.  His lip tightens with indecision.  Yeah, he basically raped her.  “Hinata, that night when you were drunk-”

“No, Naruto-kun.  We are not talking about that.”

“But, Hinata, I-"

“I wanted to do it!  I’ve told you many times that I wanted to do it.  I mean…”  Her cheeks pinken.  “Even now…”

“Yeah, but-”

“Naruto-kun, listen to me.”  She stares at him severely.  “I know you try to and you act like you do, but you don’t!  You don’t listen to me!”

His jaws drops.  “Hinata, I listen to you!”

“No, you don’t!”

“I do listen to you!”

“Then why are we talking about this?!”

He’s never seen her so upset, but he continues anyway.  “Because I want to-”

“Exactly!  Because you want to.  What about what I want?”

He stops, disconcerted.

“I know you mean well, but I am telling you what I want, and you’re not listening.”

“Hinata…”

“You’re very stubborn.  It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all because it’s not.  But...listen to me.  Please.  You are always forgetting what I say to you.  You only remember what you want to remember.”

“Hinata...I remember what you say to me…”

The smile she gives him is gentle, but knowing.  

He doesn’t like it.  “Hinata, you’re important to me.  I remember what you tell me.”

She smiles at the floor.  “You don’t forget everything.  But you have always had so much going on in your life, I know that you don’t remember...some things.”

“...Like what?”  His tone is just slightly challenging.  Hinata’s important to him!  As important to him as his teammates!  How can she say that?

She bites her lips.  “I know you don’t remember…”

“What?”

She sighs.  “In your fight with Pein…”

Another point of insecurity for him concerning Hinata.  He wants to protect her, so why the fuck is she always protecting him?  Because he’s weak.  Too weak.  “What about it?” he asks bitterly.

Her eyes dart to his.  “Naruto-kun…nevermind.  It’s not important.”

“Hinata, what is it.  I remember that fight as if it were yesterday.  I’ll never forget it.”

“It’s okay.  I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“Tell me.  What don’t I remember.”

“It’s not fair of me to bring that up as an example.  You were scared for me.”

“Hinata, you didn’t see me that day.”

She looks at him quizzically.

“You never saw _the monster_ I became.  When Pein struck you down, I thought you were dead!  I was...I was _beyond_ scared.”

“I’m sorry, Naruto-kun!  I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, Hinata.  Tell me!  What don’t I remember?!”

She frowns and looks at him unhappily.  “You don’t remember what I said to you when I tried to help you.”

He searches his memory.  When she tried to help him?  He remembers her standing between him and Pein.  He remembers the gut-wrenching feeling of knowing she wouldn’t succeed.  And the horrifying realization of what he predicted take place before his eyes.  Did she...say something?  She did.  She said something.  When he told her to go back.  She said something, her steady, confident voice reaching his paralyzed form in bits and pieces, but it was all...unintelligible.  The words didn’t matter because, in fact, he wanted her to _stop_ talking.  He wanted her to run away, to move, everything inside him just wanted to save her, protect her, all he wanted was for her to get away, to leave him.  The longer she stood there, the louder his mind screamed, an increasingly panicked, endless repeat of _No, No, No!_   He knew Pein would kill her, and nothing she said would change that from happening, and he was so scared, so helplessly terrified.  He didn’t listen.  Not then..and he guesses, not now, either.

“Nevermind it, Naruto-kun!  It’s not important.”

Not important?  Then why does he feel like it probably was?  “What did you say to me, Hinata?”

She shakes her head.  “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”  Her gaze turns inward.  “I don’t know why I brought it up.  I really didn’t expect anything from it.  Please forget about it.  It wasn’t important, and it wasn’t fair of me to bring it up.  That’s in the past.”

“What did you say to me?”  He moves toward her to take her hand.  

“Naruto-kun…”

“Tell me what you said,” he softly encourages.  “I’ll...listen.  I’ll really try to listen.”

She’s silent for a long while.  

He watches her squeeze his hand and mindlessly pull at the skin around his knuckles and palm.  “You can tell me anything, Hinata.  I know I’m stupid and stubborn, but with you..I really want to try.  I really want to listen to you.  I really like talking to you, and if I don’t listen to you, then that makes me a real bastard because if there’s anyone I want to listen to, it’s you.  I’m sorry.”  Now he’s the one squeezing her hands.

She nervously looks at him.  

He can tell she needs more encouragement.  “I...originally wanted to tell you that...what I needed to tell you was that...I...really...y’know that I really...I really care about you.  More than anyone else.  Like I care about my team and the village obviously, but with you...with you it’s different.”  He gazes at her apologetically.  “You can tell me anything.”

She’s looking at him now, her eyes wide.  “Naruto-kun...what...do you mean?”

“Um...”  He can feel a ferocious blush coming on.  He looks away from her, but even his ears feel hot.  “Like, no matter what you say, I could never hold it against you.  I know I’m stupid and I don’t always understand things, but with you I want to understand.”

“Oh..no, I meant...what do you mean when you said you..um...care about me?”  

“Oh…”  He was hoping that she missed that part.  “I meant...that...well…”  He steels himself.  This could be the end of everything.  But she needs to know.  His feelings aren’t honest, and he can’t keep her unless she’s okay with him being this way.  “Actually, yesterday...I was watching you while you were out with that guy.”  He looks at her, and he can’t help feeling terribly ashamed.  “I should be wishing for your happiness.  I should want you to be able to move on…”

Hinata shakes her head slightly and looks at him with a strange, concerned expression.

He continues at her silence.  “A part of me thinks that I can make you happy.  I _want_ to make you happy.  But I mean, I can’t even protect you.  I bet when you look at me, you think of Neji.  And...I don’t even listen to you.  You told me you don’t like these suitors, but I still went and watched you.”  He looks at the floor, dropping her hand.  “I know I’m a terrible guy.  Stubborn, stupid, and I get defensive when I have no right to.  You’re right that I don’t listen.  And I have a poor memory.  Everyone actually points these things out to me all the time.  I just...I didn’t want to be like that with you.  You make me feel like I’m better than that.”

“Naruto-kun, you’re a great person!”  Hinata suddenly hugs him.  She squeezes him tightly.  “And you _do_ make me happy!  I don’t need you to protect me because I want to stand beside you, not behind you.  I want to protect you...Don’t you see?”  She looks up at him, searching his gaze.

He stares at her pearl eyes, and whispers, “...Hinata, you’re too cool for me.  After that fight with Pein, I vowed to get stronger.  I promised myself I’d make it up to you.  Instead, I almost got you killed in the war.  I’m _not_ a great guy.  You shouldn’t-”  His chest feels heavy, and this throat thickens.  “-you shouldn’t be with someone like me.”

Hinata gives him the deepest frown he’s ever seen in his life.  And she hugs him even tighter. “Naruto-kun!  Listen to what I’m telling you!” she says exasperatedly.

Her response is unexpected, as if she completely denied his attempt to stop their relations.  It’s like he got scolded.  Apparently, he wasn’t listening.  Again.  He whispers quietly, “I make you happy?”

She nods and smiles.  “You make me very happy.  I am truly happy when we’re together.”  

“Really?”

She nods.

“Me, too.”  He shares her smile for a moment before closing his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind.  “Hinata.  I’m listening.  I’ll listen.  I’ll really try to listen...what did you tell me that day?”

After a pause, he hears her take a deep breath.  “That day, I knew that I couldn’t defeat Pein.  I tried to help you because I wanted to encourage you to not give up.  I told you about how I used to always give up.  Until I met you, I never knew how to stand up for myself.  I wanted to tell you that watching you gave me hope.  It still does.”

He furrows his brow at her words.  He opens his eyes and stares at her sternly.  “You risked your life to tell me that?”

She nods her head.

His stare turns more severe.  Was she out of her mind?

“...I had selfish reasons, too.”

“Selfish?”  What about sacrificing your life is selfish?

“...I wanted to protect you.  I wanted to do what I could.”

“But you knew you couldn’t win!”

“I...I also wanted you to see me.”

 _See her?_ “...What?”

“I wanted you to notice me.”

“Hinata, I’ve known you since we were small kids!  I’ve noticed you!  Why...why?!”

“Because-”

He stares at her, waiting for her answer.  All this time.  He thought it was the Will of Fire, but no.  She did it _for him._ “Because?!”

“Because-...because...Naruto-kun!”  She’s looking at him, like he should already understand it.

But he doesn’t.  “Because what, Hinata?!”

She steps away from him, burying her face in her hands.  She shakes her head.  “I can’t tell you right now.  Not like this.”

“Hinata!”  His hands reach out to emphasize the feelings he can’t put into words.  It probably wasn’t just that time, either.  She probably did that _for him_ during the war, too.  “Why would you do that for me?!”  He thought that the Will of Fire was something they had in common.  But whatever drove her to do that for him comes from a different place.  One he thinks he can’t begin to fathom.  “Why?  Why would you do that _for me_?”

Her face finally pops out from her hands.  “Naruto-kun.  You say that I’m too nice to you-”

“You _are_ too nice to me, Hinata!  Like what the-”

“Listen to me!”

He shuts up.

“I’m not nice.  I’m very selfish.”

“You’re not-”  He shuts his mouth at her glare.  

“I’m very selfish,” she repeats.  “But please allow me to continue to be selfish for a moment...and let me make a selfish request?”  

His first instinct is to tell her that she’s not selfish.  At the very least, she’s not so selfish as to warrant the amount of times she said it.  But he somehow holds to his promise to listen.  He nods.

“I’ll tell you...if you do something for me.”

“Hinata, I’d do anything for you,” he declares with utmost sincerity.

However she seems to suddenly fold into herself.  “I’ll tell you if…”  Her hands come together in a tight hold.  “I’ll tell you...if you take me out on a date.”  Her voice is so small by the end, he’s not sure he heard properly.

But he was listening.  And he’s 90 percent sure he heard her.  “On a date?” he asks, just to be 100.

She stares to the side, her cheeks blazing.

He’s beaming.  “You wanna go on a date with me, Hina?”

She turns to look at him.  Her eyes widen at the sight of his large smile.  She nods very slightly.

“Let’s go!  Let’s go on a date!”  Pure elation fills him unlike anything he’s ever known.  “I’ll take you anywhere!  Where do you wanna go?”  He can hardly contain his excitement.  

“Uh..um...I don’t know…”

“Where should we go!”  He pauses to think and realizes he doesn’t know the first thing about dating.  Like, sure, he used to always ask Sakura out, but he always imagined the dates at Ichiraku.  He’s grown up enough to assume that proper dating doesn’t consist of the one ramen stand he frequents.  

“Um..Naruto-kun..”

“Yes?”  He turns his bright smile at the blushing girl.

“I didn’t mean right now.”

“Oh.”

“We still have to finish cooking the pancakes.”

“Right, right, right…”   _Those fucking pancakes keeping me from a date with Hinata._  “Look, the batter’s too thick now.  It probably won’t cook well.”

“But-”

“And the pancakes we made are all cold.  I’ll just heat ‘em up later.  Let’s go out on a date!”

“But I’m not ready!”  There’s a slight hint of incredulity in her complaint.

“What do you mean?  Do you need to get ready for a date?”  Panic fills him.  Does he need to get ready for a date?  What does he need?

“I mean…”  Hinata looks at herself and sighs.  “I’m not...I’m just not ready.”

He stares at her, willing himself to _listen_ when everything in him is wondering how she can hold out on him like this.  If she’s not ready, then she’s not ready.  This listening thing is going to take some work.  He calms himself.  “This afternoon, then?”

She apologetically shakes her head.  “I’m babysitting.”

“Tonight?”

Her mouth tightens at his suggestion.  “I’m on for gate patrol.  Tomorrow for lunch?”

“Tomorrow?!”

She frowns sadly at his reaction.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.  Tomorrow is great.”  He tries his best to lighten his expression.  He smiles, earning one in return from her pretty lips.  “Tomorrow is perfect!  Hinata, I’m looking forward to it!  Believe me, it’ll be the best date ever.”  And he’ll make sure to do his absolute _best_ to listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of feelings for this chapter.  
> I hope it didn't upset anyone since I think I tried pretty hard (I try hard on every chapter lol)...moment to remind myself that I write *for myself* because sometimes I unfortunately get a teeny bit sensitive, and it gets kinda hard to write...  
> Anyway, I tried to make a believable "argument" or disagreement for my favorite couple, which is a topic I've been interested in. I've read only a few fics that have them argue, but the point of disagreement was usually left undetermined and instead focused on the aftermath (I remember reading a reeaally good one by katarinahime, though, [cuz she's a NH genius] I think it's in her "My Name on Your Lips"). What do you think Naruto and Hinata would argue about in canon as they learned to communicate with each other? Maybe Hinata's acquiescent attitude? 
> 
> On the previous chapter, thank you for all of the kind comments and the fanfiction recommendations!  
> Thank you for reading! ^^


	10. Scrapped Scene (Shower Scene)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a smut scene that I decided didn't work out. It's a scrapped scene that has no impact whatsoever on the current storyline.  
> It would have gone in chapter 8, but as you'll find out, it also contains emotional elements that belong in chapter 9.  
> It's pretty much unedited, pure smut that I thought was complete enough to share just for fun!
> 
> Warning: Explicit Rating. Includes a clone. Also, not edited.  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina :)

They showered together only a couple of times before.  Each time ended with sex. He knows this time won’t be any different.  Just seeing her walk into the shower with him made him want to pin her against the tiled wall.  He understands that they have to get clean. But he also understands that Hinata is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

Her pale skin glistens as the droplets of water trace the curves of her body.  She washes out her hair in the spray of the shower, arms stretching up, unknowingly exposing her enticing form to his gaze.   She opens her eyes and catches him watching her. Her cheeks tint pink. Maybe she does know. 

He smirks as he reaches out to caress her waist.  

She’s looking up at him with that shy smile again.

He brings her closer to him and engages her teasing lips in a deep kiss.  Their tongues twist around each other, slow and purposeful. He knows that she’s in the mood for it, too.  

Her hands clasp around his neck, her fingers already working into his hair.

He presses their slippery bodies together, rubbing his hands down her spine, squeezing her ass.  His stiff member finds its way between her legs as she tippy toes and arches into the kiss. “Mmm Hinata.”  He grabs some more at the plush skin of her lower cheeks just to feel her breasts rubs against his chest in her pleasure.  

“Naruto-kuuuun…”  She hums and moans into the kiss as they match each other’s growing intensity.  

He’s moving along her entrance before he even realizes it, feeling her slippery arousal slide over his length.  It’s been so long. Well, a week. But he feels like he hasn’t touched her in ages. His hands glide over her sloping hips, squeeze at her arching back, and grab again at her ass, hungry to fill his senses with her soft skin.  

Hinata turns around in his hands, and she erotically shimmies her butt against his erection.  She turns her face up toward his, her gaze cloudy with desire. She flutters her dark lashes at him and rubs against him more.

Turned on beyond reason, he grabs at her hips.

Taking the hint, she bends, steadying her weight against the wall.  She protrudes her ass for him to easily place his tip between her lower lips.  

He thrusts, forcing her cushiony walls to part for him.  It’s not easy. She’s so tight. He shuts his eyes in concentration, feeling himself sink into her folds.  After a week of no intrusions, it’s like her hole seals up. But it’s okay now. He’s here to get her used to him again.  “Oh…” he groans, as he bottoms out.

“Mmm…” she whines.  Her butt wiggles against his pelvis, as if she’s excited to have him filling her after so long.

He knows he’s excited.  Gripping her hips, he pulls out of her halfway and thrusts quickly back into her.  

They both moan their pleasure, and it echoes in the confined space.

He’s working himself into her repeatedly, pushing in and out, getting her body used to his size once more.

She pants with each of his thrusts that push her to arch against the wall.  His eyes rake down her curves to where his pelvis meet her ass. 

He bangs her harder, satisfied with the ripples of impact that it sends across her skin.  

“Oh!..oh!..mm..Naru..to...kunnn..oh!..”  She tries to turn to look at him, her wet body twisting for him.  Her lids are lowered and her mouth hangs open as she pants his name. 

Seeing her look so sexy for him turns him on even more.  He reaches his hands around her body to enclose around her heavy breasts.  He lifts her up so that their tongues can taste each other. It’s simultaneously erotic and tender, feeling her lick his tongue as her warm breath touches his lips.    

“Naruto-kun…” she calls breathlessly.

“Hinata…” he manages to reply.

“Harder...harder please…”

She’s never asked him to go harder.  New lust fogs his mind. He squeezes her breasts roughly, letting the skin fill the spaces of his fingers, and pounds into her relentlessly.

“Ohhh yes!...harder...Naruto-kun!” she breathes. 

He has no idea where this vixen came from.  But he can’t stop to wonder about it. Her body is so sexy.  Perfect for him to fit into. Perfect for him to fuck and touch and do what he wants to.  “Ugh..Hinata…” he groans, pumping as harshly as he can into her tight hole. Ecstasy builds into a towering wave in him with each slamming thrust.  He’s getting close. Too soon. He exhales desperately, willing himself to slow down.

“Oh noo…” she whines, pleadingly.  Her ass wiggles around him, begging him to return to fucking her with abandon.

He shakes his head trying to figure out what to do, but he can’t stop thrusting long enough to think.  He’s addicted to her, to the pleasure she’s giving him with her tight, wet body. 

“Mmm, harder... _ please _ ,  _ Naruto-kuunn _ ..”  His name falls seductively from her lips.

He can’t resist her begging.  He pounds into her furiously. Her ecstatic moans tell him he made the right choice.  Her butt shakes with each meeting of their groins. Heady pleasure fills his mind and seeps through his limbs.  “Ugh Hinata...you’re gonna make me come…” he groans.

“Noo…” she whines.

He bites his lips, trying to hold himself back.  “Hinata…” he whimpers. He stills, finding himself at the edge, but she keeps going.  

Sliding herself around his dangerously engorged member.  

“Hina!..” he cries in surprise.  He can’t keep going long enough for her.  And he hates it when he finishes before she comes.

But she doesn’t heed his warnings.  Her heated folds massage his loaded manhood, and he finds himself about to explode into this sexy girl.

He can’t handle it.  He doesn’t even know what he’s saying or doing.  He loses all coherence, all sense of rational thought, and all that’s left is the intense need to give her the long, hard fucking that she wants.  He registers his voice, low and rough, somewhere in the sound of the water hitting the tiles before the roar of his orgasm surges in his ears. All he can see is her ass shaking around him, his hands pressing what could be bruises into her hips.  All he can feel is his swollen dick spewing ropes of cum into her clinging flesh. He’s gasping, panting out the release he didn’t want. “I’m...sorry...Hina…”

She looks back at him then.  Her eyes are wide in curiosity.

Not the disappointed expression he expected.

“Naruto-kun?”  She stands straight, causing his member to fall out of her.  She said his name, but her gaze slides over his shoulder.

Befuddled he turns to look, hearing the curtain rings rattling against the rod.  The post-orgasm exhaustion hinders him from reacting appropriately. “What-” he manages, but he falls silent upon seeing his clone lock eyes with Hinata.  His clone kisses her deeply, backing her against the wall. “What?...” he quietly verbalizes again. He doesn’t remember even creating the clone. 

The clone turns and smirks at him.  “We’re kinda busy, so can you give us some space?”  His fingers are deep in her folds, and she’s trembling in his embrace.  Her cheeks are attractively rosy from the pleasure, but her eyes are wide in confusion.

Naruto stares at them, at himself, utterly shocked.  Too surprised to do anything else, he steps out. 

His clone starts whispering in her ear as his fingers slide in and out of her.  It’s incredibly lewd, and Naruto feels like he’s seeing something he shouldn’t. 

Hinata’s eyes wander toward him, only for the clone to mutter something to her, gaining her attention once more.  She’s nodding and licking her lips, and Naruto is filled with even more confusion. 

_ What is he..am I...is he?! saying to her?  _   His concern over his clone’s words is forgotten when he sees the clone making out with her passionately.  Naruto watches, a blush forming at seeing how their bodies mold together. It’s hot, seeing himself handle her body.  Seeing her bend over again as he aligns his cock at her folds. 

The clone suddenly glances at him.  And smirks. He pushes into her.

“Ahh...oh.. _ yess _ …” Hinata moans, her body arching up against the force of his thrust.  “That feels so good…”

Naruto has never hated his clones so much.

The clone is driving into Hinata roughly, making her gasp and cry out in pleasure.  His name once more echoes around the bathroom. And it’s his voice grunting and swearing and panting.  

But it’s not  _ his. _  He stands there at a complete loss of what he’s supposed to do.  He wants nothing more than to dispel his clone.

Hinata abruptly turns her face at him.  She blushes deeply. “Na-Naruto-kun,” she gasps.

The clone pounds into her harder making her squeeze her eyes shut.

“Come…” she whimpers.  She reaches a hand out to him for a second.  

The clone aggressively thrusts into her, causing her to steady herself against the wall.  The clone turns an angry face at him, as if daring him to come any closer.

Apparently his clone hates him, too.  

“Kiss...Naruto...kun...please?..ah!...oh!...”

The clone pulls her up, similarly to what they had done earlier.  Their tongues reach out for each other, and Naruto feels intense jealousy rise in his chest.  

_ She wanted a kiss from me! _  He marches back into the shower and catches her lips with his own.  “Hinata…” he whispers. 

The clone starts banging her again, making it impossible for Hinata to continue kissing him.  She falls forward, bracing herself against the wall. 

Naruto shoots a glare at his clone, who’s too lost in pleasure to notice.  He looks at Hinata, who also has her eyes shut. Unwilling to be forgotten, he kneels by her and starts playing with her breasts.  

They jiggle uncontrollably with each thrust.  

He takes a nipple into his mouth and sucks.  

Her hand grasps tightly into his hair, and she pushes her breasts into his face.

Happy for the attention, he squishes her breasts together, licking both hardened nipples over and over.  

“Oh, Naruto- _ kuuuun _ ,” she moans.

He smiles, knowing that  _ he _ was the one who caused that reaction.  He tweaks her nipple between two fingers, while the other reaches between her legs, finding her clit.  He rubs her, realizing how incredibly erotic it is for him and his clone to be pleasuring her at once.

“Oh my gods,” she gasps.  Her knees threaten to give out, but the clone holds her hips up in his firm grip as he drives into her with slamming force.

“Does that feel good, Hina?” Naruto asks, his member hardening again as he watches her curvy form shiver and squirm.

“Oh my…”  Her voice dissolves into a quiet moan.  

“You’re so sexy, Hina...I’m getting hard for you again,” he whispers to her.  His fingers press on her nub relentlessly.

“Hinata, I’m about to come,” his clone interrupts, gasping hoarsely.

“Ah…”

Naruto watches her stop breathing, her face contort in concentration.

Suddenly, smoke billows around them.  And he’s left with a raging erection. “What the fuck?!”  Naruto drops his hand to hover over his pulsing dick. If he even touches it, he fears he’s going to blow.

Hinata collapses into him.  “Naruto-kun! Oh...Naruto-kun, I-” she’s incoherent, practically crying.  “I  _ need  _ you!”  She gazes at him, eyes watering, chest heaving.

Her soft weight against him, her flushed cheeks, her pleading voice and submissive expression has his mind veering through his clone’s memories, full of jealousy of the original and overwhelming lust to make her  _ his _ .  He kisses her hard and lays her down on the shower floor.  Seeing her squint, he quickly turns the shower off and fills the space between her legs.  His rigid length parts her lower lips smoothly.

Her slick walls accept him readily.  Her legs wrap around his hips, keeping him close to her.  “Naruto-kuuun,” she whines. 

He doesn’t waste any more time.  He pulls back and plunges into her soft body.  He hisses at the sensitivity. He’s already gasping for air.  He can’t believe his clone left him like this. It couldn’t have been on purpose.  The clone’s furious feeling of desperation is one he’s never felt before, as if his time is literally running out.  It has his heart thumping against his ribcage as he fucks her and makes out with her. “Hinata...Hinata…” He encircles his arms around her, embracing her.   _ All mine, all mine. _  His heart shudders at the forbidden thought.  He kisses her passionately and tunnels through her silky passage repeatedly.

“Na..ru..to...kun…mmm...”

“Hinata…”   _ She’s all mine. _  It’s wrong, but it feels so right.   _ She’s mine _ .  He squeezes her.  Burning desire engulfs him.  He wants to mess her up so bad, she wouldn’t be able to function without him.  “Hinata...Hinata…”  _ Mine mine... _  “Come for me, Hinata...come for me…”

She freezes up around him.

He’s groaning.  The words are on his lips.  He wants her know it. To believe it, too.   _ You’re mine, Hinata.  You’re mine!  _

She’s squeezing him so tightly.  Her plush flesh pulls on his member.  “ _ Oh, Naruto-kun _ ,” she moans.

He pumps into her vigorously in single-minded desperation for completion in her sexy body.  Ecstasy towers over him, then crashes down through him, lighting all of his nerves on fire. He’s deep in her, coming in her harder than the first time.  He’s gasping into her neck as if he’s never breathed before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...  
>  That's all...  
> Chapter 10 is on its way!  
> Thank you for reading!


	11. Daydreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the real update!  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina fluffy fluff ^^

He can’t for the life of him meditate.

Because he has a date!  His usual circuit of exercise and meditation kept on getting interrupted by sudden fizzes of happiness that bubbled through him into outbursts of _yes_ ’s and whoops of laughter.  To say he felt distracted was an understatement.  

So he decides to just give in to his distraction.  He leans back into the grass of the training ground and focuses his thoughts on the girl who’s brighter than the summer sky above him.

He, Uzumaki Naruto, age 18, turnaround failure and proud shinobi of Konoha, has a date.  An actual date with Hyuuga Hinata, his beautiful, strong, smart, sexy as hell longtime friend and comrade.  The girl who embodies a perfection he doesn’t deserve.

Yet somehow, she thinks he’s worth her time.  More than just her time.  Her life.   _Because...because…_

He stares at the endless blue above him with no small amount of desperation.  The thought that she’d so easily and readily give up her own life for his knocks the breath out of him.  He doesn’t deserve that.  And he knows she didn’t do it because everyone considered him the savior and best shot at winning the war.  Hinata...Hinata... _she cares for me that much?_  The thought feels wrong, conceited of him to even assume, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.  He grimaces.  There’s just no way anyone can care for him that much.  Not even Sakura, his teammate through thick and thin, jumped into the crater to save him from Pein.  Not to say Sakura doesn’t care for him.  She’s saved his life on multiple occasions, just not...like that.  So, what made Hinata do that for him?  Just because he inspires her?

He’s read words along similar lines in many a letter handed to him from a blushing girl.  He has them all, awkwardly put away in storage, because he doesn’t know what else to do with them.  But _none_ of those girls, some very able kunoichi, tried to rescue him on the battlefield.

Hinata.  She’s a mystery.  A complete enigma that makes his heart clench, his lungs struggle for breath, his face heat up with something similar to embarrassment.  She’s just way too cool.  Like, like the hero in _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_.  Swooping in and saving him!  Standing before guys stronger than her and telling them to shove it up their asses because she doesn’t give a damn about what they think.  Well, she doesn’t talk like that, but that’s how she acts.  And she says _he_ helped _her_ to become hopeful!  The only thing he thinks he may have infected her with is a case of hardheaded stupidity.  Doing stupid, crazy, heroic acts should be left to dunces like him, who are _actually_ stupid, but for some reason only the universe knows is bestowed with ridiculous amounts of chakra and on top of that the Nine-Tailed Kurama (making him, in result, really powerful, he admits).

 **_I agree.  You don’t deserve her in the slightest._ **   

 _Right, though?!  Why did she do that for me!_ By now, he’s used to Kurama’s random interjections into his headspace.

**_You already know the reason._ **

_...I do?_

Kurama is silent.  Meaning yes, he does.  He purses his lips in thought.  He was listening to her this morning.  As carefully as he could.  He recalls everything she told him.   _Because I give her hope?_

**_Yes._ **

_...What?  Still, though, why would she do that for me?  I still don’t understand!_

Kurama grumbles. **_That’s not all._ **

_Uhh, because I make her happy?  “Truly” happy?_

**_Yes._ **

_But I didn’t speak to her very much back then!  How is it that I could make her happy when I was rarely even in the village?_  His thought process halts there.  It’s a wall he can see no way to get around.  No further thinking can possibly get him his answer.

**_Naruto, you already know the reason.  Stop acting like a fool, though I should hardly expect anything less from you._ **

_What the hell, Kurama?!  I really don’t know!  Do you know?!_

**_I do.  It’s obvious.  And so do you._ **

Naruto scrunches his face up.  _I...I do?_

**_Yes, you do.  You know why._ **

He lies there, utterly dumbfounded.  If he knows, then why doesn’t he know?  

He hears Kurama’s sigh. ** _Don’t think about it too hard.  The answer will come to you naturally, or Hinata will tell you first._ **

_Oh, right._  He kind of forgot that Hinata said she would tell him if he took her out on a date.  Amid all his excitement for the date itself, he forgot what prompted it in the first place.  A smile slowly spreads across his face.   _Hinata wants to go on a date with me._ Warmth surrounds his heart.  Happy.  He’s so happy, and he doesn’t know how he can possibly wait until tomorrow.  

**_Yes, she wants to go on a date with you._ **

_Yeah...she wants to go on a date with_ me _.  Of all people._  He repeats the line just because it sends a shot of joy through him each time.  

He can feel Kurama’s chuckle.   ** _You already know your answer, Naruto._ **

_Huh, what?  Oh._ He has to reconfigure his brain to come down from the high of remembering her asking him out.  In that moment, confusion clouds his mind. _...How is taking her on a date related to her telling me her reason?_ The two things seem so disjointed from each other, he begins trying to rationalize it.   _Maybe she doesn’t actually, y’know, like,_ want _to go on a date with me...Is it like...a test or something?  Like depending on how well the date goes, her answer might change?_

**_I am certain it is not like that.  You already know why.  What she tells you will just be what you already know...or rather, what you already feel._ **

Kurama’s addition makes him feel even more confused.   _What I feel?_

 **_Yes._ **  Kurama huffs a sigh.  His patience is obviously beginning to wear thin, and Naruto can tell that their conversation will come to an end soon.   ** _Naruto, you already know.  Hinata will tell you tomorrow anyway, so don’t think about it too hard.  However if she must tell you, then you are even dumber than I thought._ **

_...It’s that obvious to me?_

**_Yes.  If you have been listening and paying attention to her, then you can figure it out on your own easily._ **

Listening and paying attention.  His heart sinks, then is filled with resolve.   _Thanks, Kurama.  I’ll figure it out on my own.  And I’ll take Hinata on the best date ever, too._

Kurama exits his thoughts without notice.  

Naruto nip-ups to standing, finding a new purpose for himself.  His mission is this: take Hinata on an amazing date, listen and pay attention to her, and figure out before the date ends why she would sacrifice her life for his.  So he sets off into the village center to figure out what would make an amazing date.

 

He didn’t get very far in his search.  By the time the sun starts to set, he realizes that he spent the entire rest of the day talking to people.  This store-owner, that shopkeeper, those three girls who like to hold onto him a little too much.  Awkwardly thanking vendors for free samples he can’t turn down because a minuscule part of his small kid self won’t let him.  It was just one thing after another, and his brain was so split on his self-imposed mission and the people around him, he didn’t even remember to put on a disguise.

It’s with great relief he spots Sai as he makes his way back to his apartment.  

“Hey, Sai!  I have a question for you!”

“Hello, Naruto.  What is it?”

“You and Ino are going out now, right?”

“Well, Ino is on a mission currently, so I am not seeing her tonight.”

Naruto pauses to think where the miscommunication occurred.  “No, I meant to ask if the two of you have been going on dates?”

“I see.  Yes, we have gone on two dates.”  Sai’s smile is gentler somehow, Naruto notes.

“Where did you guys go?”

“We went to Matsumori Cafe on the first date.  On the second date we went shopping and then she watched me paint.”

“Matsumori Cafe?”  It’s one of those new, overpriced (in his opinion) restaurants that looks too nice for him to just walk into by himself.

“Yes.  The food was good.”  

“Huh.”  Naruto hadn’t even considered the place.  He’d never been there before, and he rarely ever walks down that street of new restaurants anyway.  Another thought crosses his mind.  “Shopping and painting qualifies as a date?”

“Well, Ino said that we would both choose something that we like to do when we’re not training or going on missions so that we can learn more about each other.  It was surprisingly fun.”

Naruto nods, processing the idea.  “That sounds like it was nice.”

“It was very nice.”

What would he choose to do in that situation?...He doesn’t do much outside of training.  Bother Kakashi-sensei, talk to townspeople, go to Ichiraku with whoever he can find.  Strangely, he has never eaten at Ichiraku with Hinata, alone.  He has with Sakura many times now.  Considering how close he is to Hinata, why has he never invited her to eat with him there?  He imagines it.  The two of them smiling at the counter together.  It would be so nice.  His cheeks suddenly feel hot.  It’s strange--the mixture of embarrassment, happiness, and, weirdly, dread that pool in his gut.

“You’re taking Hinata on a date.”  Sai’s words cut through his thoughts.

“Oh, uh, yeah.”  Naruto realizes he’s simultaneously grimacing and blushing from all of the thoughts swirling around his mind.  “How’d you know?”

“You only look that empty-headed when you’re thinking of her.”  He smiles.

Naruto’s expression turns into a glare because, nevermind, it’s the same Sai as always.

“I realized that I was nervous,” he says before Naruto can think of an appropriate comeback.  “I didn’t know what I was doing on the first date and I thought I made so many mistakes, but at the end, Ino said it was perfect… It really was perfect.”  

Naruto stares.  His serene expression is one he has never seen before on his socially-inept teammate.  “I’m happy for you, Sai,” he manages to respond.

“Thanks.”  Sai pauses and then continues.  “I’m happy for you, too, Naruto.”

“Why?”

“Well, you’re going on a date with Hinata.  That must mean you’re not going to lose her as you feared, right?”

“Um.”  It takes him a moment to realize Sai is referencing their conversation from a while ago.  “I...I dunno...I guess?  Maybe..?  She said that I make her happy.”

The two of them stare at each other blankly for a moment.  Then suddenly, his inky eyes light up in a way Naruto didn’t think was possible.  “Ino told me the same thing.”

He can’t help smiling for Sai’s obvious happiness.  “That’s great.”  Sai’s expression looks familiar.  Where has he seen that expression before?  It’s warm, bright, just like when… “Sai, that’s great!” he repeats, more enthusiastically.  He claps his teammate on the back, but it’s obvious Sai’s thoughts are elsewhere.

“Yeah.”  He’s clearly distracted.

 _He’s thinking of Ino?_ Naruto has no idea how Ino can make anyone look so stupidly happy.  “Sai, you look brainless.”

He comes out of his stupor and _blushes_.  He coughs.  “I’ll see you later, Naruto.”

Naruto watches him leave in a hurry.  “See you later!” he calls out to his retreating form. _Huh._  Who would’ve ever predicted that after Shikamaru, Sai would get a girlfriend...next.  A girlfriend.  A GIRLFRIEND.   _Hinata.  Is she?  Is she my…?_ His heart twists, and he stops in utter bewilderment.  If he’s going on a date with her, does that make her his…?

 

He stands at the park near the Hyuuga compound.  He has no idea what they’re going to do today.  Last night, he felt he might be losing his mind with wondering _what_ she was to him.  He had never wanted to figure out what their relationship was before.  He was too scared.  But if they go on a date, and it goes well, and he manages to get her to do more dates with him, and they spend lots of time together, and not just in the dead of night fucking, then does that mean...does that mean…  He feels like his brain short-circuits again for maybe the hundredth time.  It startles him how bad he wants it.  To make what they have real and recognized by everybody.  And at the same time how freaking terrified he is.  What if Hinata doesn’t want that?  What if he fucks up the date so badly, he’s just a fuck-up for the rest of his life?  And judging by the fact that he couldn’t plan anything for their perfect date, he’s already headed down that road.   _Oh no oh no oh no no_.  Because here she comes.  

“Naruto-kun!  You’re really early!”

He thought that the fresh air might help him to plan.  It did nothing.  “Hi, Hinata.”  His voice is an octave too high.  He clears his throat awkwardly.

She smiles bashfully.  “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

He shakes his head, afraid his voice will betray him again.

“That’s good,” she murmurs.  She bites her lips and turns away from his gaze.

He’s internally screaming.  She’s wearing a long dress with loose sleeves.  He can tell she dressed up.  It’s happening.  The date is happening, and he doesn’t have the slightest clue of what to do.  

She looks back up at him.  “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me today.”

He shakes his head and just stares at her.

She bites her lip again.  “Uhm, did you have someplace you wanted to go?”

He’s screaming.  On the inside.  He pretends like he isn’t, though.  His face crinkles into something far from his best smile.  “Yeah!”   _Oh no no._ “Follow me!”

“Okay.”  She smiles, and it makes his heart thud in his chest like some kind of deranged animal.

He leads her into the new district full of those new restaurants that are just so expensive.  He glances around, trying to quickly pick a place, but why on earth do they all look the same?  How can he tell if the food is good if he can’t see and hear the reactions of those inside?  Before he realizes it, they’re at the end of the strip and apartments line the rest of the road.  He blanches.  “Uhh, Hinata…”  He turns around to face her.

She’s giggling into her hand but quickly stifles it.

Panic morphs into embarrassment.  He can hardly even look at her.

“Naruto-kun, where do _you_ want to go?”  She’s smiling gently, her expression warm.

“Hinata,” he sighs heavily.  “I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head cheerfully, her voice soft and soothing.  “I’m just happy to spend the day with you.”

 _She’s so sweet._ The thought of having her as his girlfriend continuously floats around his mind.  Embarrassment hardens into resolve once more.  He needs to shape up.  “Is there anywhere you wanted to go?”  

She hums in thought.  “I thought maybe we could go to Ichiraku?”

“Really?” he immediately asks in disbelief.

She nods.

_But it’s not a restaurant.  It’s cheap and it’s just a stand and-_

She tugs at his arm with both hands, which slide down to hold his fingers, unknowingly pulling him into a different train of thoughts.

_In public!!  Touching...touching...she’s...oh gods...in public…_

“Let’s go?”

“Yeah..” _Wait._  They’re really going to Ichiraku.  Not that he really minds, but...really?...There’s just no way he can shape up.  She’s making him an amorphous mess.  He grasps her hand for some kind of grounding as they make their way over.  

He can see her small, cute smile.  It fills him with airy happiness, like he’s stepping through fluffy clouds, and his brain is nothing but light cotton.  

“Hello, Naruto!”  Teuchi’s voice booms out, jabbing at the bubble of his elation.  “And hello to your lady friend, Hinata, was it?”

Hinata nods and smiles graciously as she takes a seat at the counter.  “Good afternoon, Teuchi-san.”

“Hey, Teuchi-jiisan!”  Naruto slips into the familiarity of the ramen stand.  It’s a comfort, and only then does he realize how nervous he really was this whole time.

“Hello Naruto, Hinata!” Ayame greets, coming up to them, ready to take their orders.  “It’s just you two, today?”

Naruto shares a bashful look with Hinata.  “Yup.”

“Oh?”  She gives them an expectant smile.  “Could this be a date?”

They’ve been found out.  And it gives him inexplicable joy, even as nerves run through his limbs.  He scratches the back of his neck, looking at Hinata for any kind of confirmation to allow him to reveal themselves.

She’s just smiling shyly, her eyes bright.

“Yeah, it’s a date.”  His gaze flicks back to the woman he considers something like an older sister.  

“Well, good for you, Naruto!”  

He breaks into a large smile.  “Thanks!”

It’s after Ayame leaves them with their orders, and they’re both sitting there, staring at anything but each other, that Naruto decides to attempt conversation.  “So why’d you choose Ichiraku?”

“Oh, um..”  She glances at him, little smile still there.  “I know this is your favorite place.”

“Yeah, it is...but we didn’t have to go here just ‘cause it’s my favorite.  We could have gone anywhere.”

“Mhm.”  She nods in a way that shows that she already knew that.

It’s that feeling again.  A strange mix of feeling moved and frustrated at the same time.  How is she so good at controlling the situation, while accommodating him?  How was she able to decide on where to go, when he couldn’t do something so simple?  He huffs.  “Well, next time we’ll go somewhere _you_ want to go.”  

It takes a second for his words to reach his own ears.  Hinata’s brows are raised just a bit, a surprised smile lighting her features.  “Okay,” she agrees.  A blush tints her cheeks.

Her response was so easy, it’s as if there was never any question about the possibility of a second date.  He tentatively smiles.  “...Where would you like to go?”

“Oh!...mmm…”  

“Like, what places are your favorite?”

“Umm..I like the dango shop a lot.  I suppose they don’t serve lunch, though.”  She blushes a smile again.  “And my family doesn’t often eat out, but we like to go to Red-Crowned Crane.”

He can vaguely picture the restaurant’s elaborate doors.  “That’s...a nice place.”  It’s also an expensive place.

“We only go there for special occasions, like my father’s birthday.”

He nods.  He’s never been there for any occasion.

She hums again in thought, glancing at him for a second.

He leans against the counter, content to just listen, and smiles to encourage her to keep going.

“Sakura and I often go to Canopy Cafe.  They have ramen there, though it’s probably not as good as here.”

“Canopy Cafe?  I’m up for it.  Almost any ramen is good ramen in my book,” he explains in mock seriousness.

“Oh, okay...then, next time?” she asks quietly.

“Yeah, tomorrow?”

She gives him a shy smile.  “Okay.”

He feels like his cheek muscles might get sore from smiling too much.  The date’s not even over, and she already agreed to go out with him again.  

“...Do you have places you like besides Ichiraku?”

He hums in thought.  “I like eating yakiniku with everyone.”  It’s pretty cheap when they split the cost, and when Choji actually pays for his fair share.  “I like the dango shop, too.”  He hasn’t been back since he humiliated himself that day of her “meeting,” though.

“Oh!...Maybe we can go there after this?”

He smiles at the suggestion.  “Yeah, sounds good!” _...Wait…_  His expression twists.

“...You don’t want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to...it’s just…”  He hesitates to tell her his realization.

Hinata waits patiently.

“Man, I’m so lame.”

She scrunches her eyebrows and tilts her head in confusion.

“You know...that day...when you had your last meeting?”

She nods.

“I...happened to be there...at the shop.  I ordered a box for us.  But when I saw the two of you come in, I left.”

“Oh!  That man!  I thought...I thought that he was you for a second when we first got there.  But he didn’t look like you, so I wasn’t really sure.  That man really was you?”

“Yeah, I was in a transformation.” _She could tell…_ The thought makes him feel all fuzzy inside.

“You ordered a box for...us?”

He frowns.  “I was so surprised to see the two of you come in, I left my order there.”

“I’m sorry.”  She looks genuinely apologetic.

“It’s not your fault.”  He sighs.  “I don’t want our date to be like your meeting.”  Eating out and then dessert at the dango shop.

Hinata looks thoughtful.  “Well...Takimoto-san and I didn’t eat dessert.  I took him there because he wanted to buy a thank you gift for Hanabi.”  She turns her gaze toward Naruto shyly.  “So it wouldn’t be the same.  Plus, it would be with you...”

His heart squeezes.  The thought of sharing a dessert with Hinata makes his cheeks flame.  It would be good.  Very good.  “Then if you’re okay with it, we can go after this.”

“I’d like to.”

They gaze at each other, both smiling shyly.  And he feels like he can’t stop.  He feels embarrassed, jittery, joyful, all at once.  It’s like a dream come true.  Their knees slightly touching beneath the counter.  Watching her tuck her hair behind her ear to keep it from falling as she leans over her bowl.  Her slurping up the hot noodles, so at odds with her usual dignified Hyuuga ways.

He grins.  

She blushes unhappily, giving him a disbelieving look at his staring.  

He just raises his brow and smiles wider, tucking into his own ramen.  Making even more noise than her.

She giggles at his antics.  

Teuchi gives them a two-for-one discount, saying that it’s a special one-time rate for “the happy couple.”

Naruto doesn’t bother to correct him...because...damn it all if it’s not the truth. _Happy couple...happy couple..._ They’re a happy couple, aren’t they?

He agrees to share a bowl of anmitsu with her, even though he knows he could eat one all by himself.  

They sit across from each other, their spoons dipping into the same ball of anko.  The sweet a perfect balance to the saltiness of the ramen still left on their tongues.  

“Mmm…” Hinata hums contentedly as she chews on a dango.  

He holds back a smirk.  “You have a little…” He gestures vaguely to his cheek.

“Oh!”  She reaches up, dragging her fingers down.

Maybe he wasn’t clear enough.  It works out because he has a better idea.  “I’ll get it.”

She makes a sound of confused surprise as he swipes the bit of paste off the corner of her mouth.  

He looks at it for only a half-second before licking it off.  “Mm,” he mimics, maintaining eye contact with her so as not to miss her reaction.

She gapes at him, eyes wide, cheeks flushed.  “Naruto-kun!” she whispers somewhat beratingly.  She looks around, and, yes, people saw.  She looks even more embarrassed.

He smiles winningly, proud of himself.  

“Naruto-kuun,” she quietly whines again.  But she’s smiling, too.

 _Ahh, so cute._  “What?” he asks, even though he knows.  He continues eating, as if he didn’t just do something really affectionate in front of many curious passersby and fellow customers.

She shakes her head, eyes squeezed shut.  She picks up her spoon and scoops some fruit and jelly.

“Ah,” he vocalizes.  He points, meaningfully, at his open mouth.

Hinata looks at him, looks at her spoon, and looks at him again.  She purses her lips adorably and gives up her spoonful to his waiting mouth.  

He holds her gaze as she draws the spoon out.  “Delicious!” he manages to articulate.

She watches him eat thoughtfully.  A playful glint comes into her eyes.  “My turn?” she asks shyly.  She opens her mouth, cheeks still rosy, and looks at him expectantly.  

Despite his earlier daring, he hesitates, realizing exactly how couple-y this feels.  He pushes through, though, and tells her to say “ahh.”

“Ahh….?  Naruto-kun, that’s too much!  Wait!”

He shoves his spoonful of fruit, jelly, dango, and anko into her mouth and happily watches her eat.  “Delicious?”

She tries to frown around the mouthful but eventually nods.  “Your turn.”

He opens his mouth.  “Ah...uhhh…” His happiness shifts to nervous concern when he sees the pile forming on her spoon.

“Open wide, Naruto-kun…”  That expression on her face is sweet yet somehow terrifying.  Especially with practically the rest of the bowl laden on her spoon.

“Hinata...wait...!”  Good thing he’s used to stuffing his face.  He comically pretends to choke.  After finally swallowing everything, he points at her accusingly.  “Now _that_ was too much.  I know you, Hinata, you were secretly trying to kill me!  What a way to go, death by anmitsu.”

Her amused expression morphs into that faux innocent look he’s seen before.  “No, I’d never.”

He scoffs.  “What did I do to deserve this?” he asks rhetorically, shaking his head.  He smiles, though, because, actually, he’s glad.

She just giggles in response, nearly her whole body shaking with suppressed laughter.

He watches the shine in her eyes and how she takes a deep breath to try to calm herself.  _What did I do to deserve...you?_

They finish the rest of the anmitsu, catching each other’s shy glances.

He walks her slowly back to the Hyuuga compound, unwilling for their date to end.  He tried to convince her to rest back at his place, but she was strangely adamant about going home.  “Hinata.”

They pause outside the tall gates that surround the main house.

“Today was...amazing.  I know you said that this date was a selfish request, but..first of all.  You’re _not_ selfish.  In any way.”  He tries to silence her complaint with his own look.  “There’s just no way something ‘selfish’ could make me so happy.  Really, Hinata...I don’t want you to go, yet, but I know you’re tired from the overnight patrol.  You have it tonight, too?”

“Yes...for the rest of this week.”

He pouts.  “Stupid Kakashi-sensei never schedules us together.”

She almost giggles but holds herself together, shaking her head.  “He’s our Rokudaime, Naruto-kun.”

“Yeah, I guess since you can’t come over tonight, I’ll go bother him, instead.”

She squints her eyes at him in disapproval for a second before looking down and taking his hand.  “Naruto-kun...thank you for today.  I had so much fun.  It was everything I-” She pauses, looking about.  She sighs happily.  “It was everything I could have dreamed of.”

“...Really?”

She nods.

“...Wow.”  He smiles bashfully.   _Wow._  “Me, too.”  

“Can I...tell you something?”

“Yeah?”  He really feels like he’s in a dream.  A dream that he hopes never ends, ever.

Her fingers tighten around his.  She takes a deep breath.  “The reason I tried to save your life, and the reason why I..um...do this with you…”

“Hinata, wait,” he interrupts.

“Hm?”  Her expression breaks into one of confusion...and...sadness?

“Wait...sorry, but...”  He didn’t mean to make her sad.  Why does she look sad?  “I know why.”

“...You do?”

“I mean...I think I do.  Kurama said that I do.  I don’t know if I do, but since he lives in me, he says that I already know, so I think I know.”

“...Oh…” she says, but her expression only seems to turn more confused.

“I want to try to figure it out on my own,” he explains.

“Naruto-kun...I...I don’t know if I can keep this from you any longer.  I just...want to tell you.”  She looks at him pleadingly.

 _She wants to tell me._  He’s supposed to be listening to her, listening to what she wants.   _She_ wants _to tell me._  “Hinata…”   _I know it, but I don’t know it!_

“Please, Naruto-kun.”

He hesitates, but gives up, unable to deny her.  “Okay.  You can tell me.  I’m sorry, Hinata, that I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid!  You just don’t know, and that’s okay…”  She draws her hand away from his to clench at the skirt of her dress.  “I love this part of you, too.”

_Huh?_

“I love you, Naruto-kun.”  She smiles beautifully up at him.  “I tried to help you that day because I love you.”

He stands there, watching her expression, processing her words.   _I...knew that.  I knew that._ He nods slowly, thinking it through.  “Yeah..I...I did know that.”

“You...knew?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I knew that.”  He nods vigorously.  “Kiba told me that, too, but I knew that.”

“Oh…”  Hinata’s brow furrows.  “Kiba-kun..told you?”

“Kiba told me when Shino told me about you seeing suitors.  Wait…”  Naruto tries to recall that awful conversation on the ship.  “Wait, Hinata, what?  Why did you try to save me?”

Hinata looks at him equally confused.  “Naruto-kun...because I...because I love you.”

“Because you love me?”  

“...Yes…”

Naruto turns his attention to the ground, trying to focus his thoughts.  She tried to rescue him _for him._  Not because of the Will of Fire.  But _for him._  And she did that, she says, because she loves him.  Kiba’s angry words suddenly come bursting into his mind. _“You obviously don’t know.  What the actual fuck, Naruto, she loves you.”_   He feels his mind lock up, the words jumbling together into gibberish like in his Academy days, sending stress down the nerves of his legs.   _What does she mean?_

“Naruto-kun.”  Her voice trembles slightly.  “Um…”

He notices her shift her weight, her hands come together tightly.  He looks up.  “Hinata…”  He looks at her desperately.  “I don’t get it.”

**_You are a fool._ **

“Oh…”  Her hands twist together more.  She nods.  “It’s okay, Naruto-kun…”

“It’s not okay.”  He frowns, feeling Kurama’s disappointment in him.

“I just wanted to finally tell you.”  She gives him a small smile, but it looks sad to him.

“Hinata, I don’t understand!  And I want to!  I really want to!  What do you mean?”

“Naruto-kun…The fact that you want to understand is enough for me.”

He shakes his head slightly, visibly upset.

“...I love you.  It’s hard to explain.  I’ve known this feeling for so long, I hardly even know when it began.  I’ve just always, always felt this way for you.  For as long as I can remember, you’ve inspired me.  I’ve always wanted to stand by your side.”

He gazes at her, trying to listen, trying to understand.   _Always?  As long as she can remember?_

“I agree with Kurama…I think...I’d like to think...that you already know what I mean?”

 _??_ “Why..do you think that?”

She blushes, averting her gaze.  “Sometimes...the way you look at me.  Or...the things that you’ve said to me...I...I don’t know for sure...it's probably just wishful thinking.”

“Like what things?” he asks quietly.

Her cheeks redden even more.  “Naruto-kun…”  She shakes her head.  “I can’t say…”  She gives him a small smile that doesn’t alleviate his confusion.  A shine comes to her eyes.  “I love you, Naruto-kun.  I really do.”  She steps up to him and kisses him softly.

Just her touch makes him relax.  He smiles at her slightly as she steps back.

“Thank you for today.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” she murmurs.  She rushes through the gate.

He stands there. _...She ran away from me._  The realization makes everything in him shatter.  He wants to _understand_ , but she explained it to him, and he still doesn’t get it.   _What’s wrong with me, Kurama?_

The fox doesn’t answer him.

Frustrated and disappointed in himself, he seeks his answers elsewhere.

He steps up to Neji’s grave.  It’s not the same without her.  He restlessly circles the monument dedicated to those lost in the war, remembering Tsunade’s words in the memorial service that highlighted the shinobi’s love for the village, the Will of Fire.  It’s not the same as what Hinata feels for him.

Her love.  Her love is different.  

A different kind of love that urges her to sacrifice herself for him.

And how many people have put themselves in harm’s way for his sake?

He finds his path leading to the stones of his parents.  When Tsunade took him to their newly restored graves at the end of the service, he didn’t know how to react.  He stood there silently, but the tears didn’t come.  And then he never returned to visit them.  He’d rather believe his parents are still alive within him.  That their chakra still resides in his body, even though he knows that as soon as he became aware of them, their residue chakra dissipated with their farewells.  

He takes a seat in front of their graves, and strangely, he doesn’t feel empty the way he did nearly two years ago.  Back then, the memory of their voices and touch still held strong in his mind.  Each night was a desperation to remember the warmth of his mother’s embrace and the heat of his father’s chakra cloak brushing his own.   _“I love you.”_  His beautiful mother told him that.  Just remembering that moment sends comfort through him.  His mother loved him.  A mother’s love.  A different kind of love he had never known before.

He listens to the wind rustling the leaves of the nearby forest.  The steps and hushed voices of fellow visitors.  He doesn’t know how long he sits there, but the shadows grow steadily longer before he finally gathers enough wits to try to talk to them. _Hi, Tou-chan.  Hi, Kaa-chan._   _...I miss you guys.  I wish you guys were here.  Then...then I probably wouldn’t be so stupid...I wish you guys could meet my friend._ His heart drops.  If only his parents could meet her.  If only they could tell him what’s wrong with him.   _Her name is Hinata, and she’s really good to me.  You guys would like her a lot._  

He tries his best to describe her to them.  He tries to recount missions he went on with her and all the little things she’s done to help him.

The soft crunch of grass underfoot breaks him out of his silent prayer.  He turns.

“Naruto-kun?”

He quickly gets to his feet.  “Hinata!  What are you doing here?”

“I...I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“You ran away from me and-”

She smiles and shakes her head.  She notes where he was sitting and kneels down near him.  “Your parents…” she murmurs.

He looks at her carefully, but nothing in her expression tells him if she’s hurting.  He shifts his gaze back to the graves.  “Yeah…”  He sits down beside her.  “I wish you could have met them.”  He imagines his mother, sweet in his memory, just as sweet as Hinata.  “They would’ve liked you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I just know it.”  He remembers his father, curious about his relationships.  Suddenly, his throat feels thick.  “Um…”  He’s had a million things on his mind all day, but looking at her beside him, her attention solely on him, her caring expression, her promise for tomorrow, he can’t stop himself from wondering.  “Can I introduce you to them?”

She smiles and nods.

“Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, this is Hinata.  She’s a really nice person, the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

Her expression lightens.  She adjusts herself into seiza.  “Hajimemashite, my name is Hyuuga Hinata.  Naruto-kun is a very important friend to me.  He is also very nice to me.  Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”  She bows politely to the grave markers.

Naruto looks back to the graves, a blush rising, his heartbeat accelerating.  “Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, Hinata...she’s...actually...she’s...my girlfriend.”  He darts his eyes back to Hinata nervously.

She turns her face to him, eyes wide.

Unnerved by her silence and frozen expression, he breaks from the charade, rambling, “I mean if you don’t want that, I understand, because I’m so stupid and with everything I’ve done to you, I know I’m really stupid, but after today’s date, I mean, I just, I just think that we could go really well together, I really, Hinata, I really, y’know, I really…”  He looks at her.

Her eyes are wide and shimmering.  

 _...want you?_  That doesn’t sound right to him anymore.  “I really…” he tries again.  “I really, um, I really...I really…”  He blinks, trying to grasp for language.  “Y’know, I really, really appreciate you, I just really, like, you’re really important to me, and I...I just really...it’s just more than that, y’know?, it’s like, it’s like I really want to make you happy and I really think I can make you happy if you’ll give me the chance.”  He nods, gaining confidence in his words.  “I really would like it if you were my girlfriend because I…I think I...”

He notices then the tears falling down her cheeks as she stares at him.

“Hinata!”  _No, no, no, no._  “Don’t cry, please don’t cry, I didn’t mean it.  I’m just stupid and I don’t know what I’m-”

She throws her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.  

He awkwardly rearranges his legs to better accommodate their position, and she leans even more into him.  Tentatively, he hugs her back.  “Hinata, I-”

“ _Yes_.”  Her voice shutters against his neck.

“...Yes?”

“Yes.  I’m your girlfriend.”  She sits up, their faces only centimeters apart, but he can see her wide smile in the curves of her glistening eyes.

“Yeah?...you are?” he asks, even as a smile spreads across his own face.

“Mhm.  And you’re...you’re my boyfriend?”

He nods, warmth heating his chest.  “I’m your boyfriend, Hinata.”

She presses against him, breathing a light kiss on his lips.

He gazes at her glowing expression, joy seeping throughout his body.  He turns back to the graves.  “See?  She’s my girlfriend!”  He grins.

Hinata plays along, drying her tears and fixing herself back into seiza, but this time facing Naruto.  “I’m in your care,” she bows to him politely.  When she raises her head, she’s smiling.  Brighter than he’s ever seen.

He rubs the back of his neck, his grin growing. _I think I..._

She scooches closer to him.

He clasps her hand.   _Maybe I...?_

_Is this...another kind of love?_

_I love her?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so close to the end! xD  
> Next chapter is outlined to be the last one in the story.  
> The final chapter will be from Hinata's side of things.  
> If you are particularly curious about how she felt during a certain scene, please let me know because I maay consider incorporating that if I'm also interested in writing it. In previous chapters' comments, I know I already got a couple of wonderings from readers that I plan on trying to incorporate!  
> Thank you for reading :)


	12. Dreaming of Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience with me as I wrote the last chapter :)  
> This came out much fluffier than I expected and about as smutty as I planned.  
> Please enjoy the NaruHina!  
> *Edited 3/20/19 for better closure*

The appearance of strawberry shortcake momentarily distracts the energetic kids from their never-ending game of Chase Naruto-nii!  

So he leans against the wall, taking the chance for a breather.

His girlfriend (just thinking that makes him smile) comes up to his side, offering a piece.

“Thanks.”

She shakes her head, blushing a smile.  “It looks like they tired you out.”

“Ah, nahhh, I’m only getting started!...I just need a sec.”  In truth, he wasn’t using jutsu or chakra, but with how much energy they have, he’s starting to second-guess the handicap he gave them.  He takes a bite of the cake as his gaze turns toward the new sign adorned with balloons, announcing the North Orphanage’s new name: North Care Community.  

“It’s nice that they invited all of us to their celebration,” she comments quietly.

“Yeah…”  After the war, he assisted in identifying lone children throughout the villages, informally counseling them, and settling them into temporary situations, like the orphanage, or into new families.  He advocated for them with various moneyed people, like the daimyo, to gain financial support for the programs. He’s worked with the children for nearly two years. “I’m going to miss them, but...I dunno how to explain it.  I’m _so_ happy for them.  I wish Konoha had a foster care system earlier, y’know.  All of these families…” Naruto watches the families, some newly-connected distant relatives of the children, others friends of the late parents, exchanging funny stories and eating.  He lets out a sigh, unable to complete the thought.  He turns a smile at Hinata. “...y’know?”

She’s looking at him thoughtfully, then nods.  Her hand hesitantly comes up to his arm, her thumb lightly rubbing him.  

“Hey, quit your flirting and come join the rest of us!” Kiba shouts at them.

Hinata reddens, her hand abruptly dropping down.  

Naruto frowns at the rude intrusion.  “Don’t mind him,” he mutters.  He shouts back at Kiba, “You’re just jealous!”

“Psh, who’s jealous?!  I just don’t wanna see you making moves on her!  It’s gross!” Kiba counters.

The children around Kiba start making a commotion.  A few run up to Naruto and Hinata with their mouths covered in frosting.  “Is it true Hinata-neechan is your girlfriend?” they ask, much louder than necessary.

Naruto glances at Hinata, noting how even though this is far from the first time such a question has been asked in the past week, she still somehow has some kind of indescribable expression on each time, something between embarrassment and suppressed joy.  As a result, he also blushes a grin as he proudly affirms the rumors.  “Yeah!  So too bad, Sho!  You’re too late!”

“Wha-what are you talking about!” the ten-year old boy Hinata rescued on Aoshima denies.

“Ah, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!” he teases.

Sho glares.  “Fine, fine.  She’s really pretty and cool, okay?!” he admits, gaining sudden confidence.  “Just wait, in ten years when you’re all old and ugly from sitting behind the Hokage desk, Hinata-neechan will prefer me!”

Naruto scoffs at the provocation.  “There’s no way she’d go for someone puny like you!”

“I won’t be puny in ten years!” the boy argues back.

“Sho-kun,” Hinata interrupts with an amused smile.  “In ten years, I’ll be old and ugly, too.”

The boy seems to stop and think about it for a second before shaking his head.  “No way, Hinata-nee, you look like you’ll age well.”

“Stop trying to steal my girlfriend!” Naruto interjects.

“Sho-kun, ten years is a long time, and you’ll certainly have found someone else to spend your life with.”

“Oooh, in ten years will you and Naruto-nii have children?!” a nine-year old girl named Fumi interrupts, looking wide-eyed at Hinata.  

 _Will Hinata and I have...children._  Naruto stares at Fumi, then at Hinata.

“I...I…” Hinata begins.

“You guys could adopt kids like us!” the girl suggests.  

“I…”  Hinata seems completely taken aback.  “I suppose I can’t say for sure, Fumi-chan..”

“You _don’t want_ kids?” Fumi presses.

“I-I do.”  Hinata’s brows knit together.

“What about Naruto-nii-  Naruto-niichan, you’re _so_ red!” the girl points out with a laugh.  

“Eh?!”  Naruto stares at the girl, then looks at Hinata once more.  

Hinata stares back with wide eyes.

He can feel his cheeks to the tips of his ears burning, and it registers then that he stopped breathing.

“Naruto-niichan, do you want kids?” Fumi repeats loudly.

He blinks rapidly, letting the question settle into the mess of his current state of mind.  

“Do you want kids?”

His imagination is hurtling through unheard of possibilities, his heart rate accelerating and pounding within his chest.

“You don’t want kids?” she asks impatiently.

“I…”  Naruto turns his gaze toward Hinata, his throat completely closed up.  _With her…!_

A passing worker breaks into their little circle.  “Fumi-chan, those kinds of questions are rude!  You don’t ask questions like that to adults!  That’s something that they discuss on their own!” she hisses.

“Oh.”  Fumi looks at them sheepishly.

The worker’s gaze darts up at Naruto, then shifts immediately back to the young girl.  “Apologize,” she whispers.

Fumi shuffles uncomfortably.  “Sorry?”

Hinata gives an untroubled smile to the girl and the worker.  “Oh, no, it’s alright.”

“Now, come on, there’s still seconds of cake if anyone wants!”  The caretaker deftly disburses the little group.

Hinata makes to join the rest of her team, but Naruto quickly pulls at her elbow.  She turns to him with a smile.

“Hinata...”

“It’s okay, Naruto-kun, you don’t-”

“No!  I-” he stops her from letting him off the hook.  “-just want you to know…”  His eyes flicker to her curious expression before dropping to the ground.  “...I want kids…” he murmurs.  He’s flaming with nerves and he grimaces at the concrete, afraid of her response.

“Oh,” she softly verbalizes.  

He looks up at her and sees that smile.  The one that’s small, shy, and cute, and, he thinks, is just for him.  

Tentatively, he smiles back.

But even as they finally rejoin the rest of the group and in the moments when he doesn’t have a wild child trying to catch him, he can’t stop thinking about it.   _Kids._ His own kids.  With Hinata.  A family.  Being a father.  Having a family.  Having kids.  Living together.  Having a family.   _A family._  

With everything that’s happened to him, he’s never, ever considered the possibility.  He himself hardly knows any family men (who are still alive) besides maybe Hinata’s, Sakura-chan’s, and Choji’s fathers.  All the men he was actually ever close to, like Kakashi, Iruka, and Jiraiya, are and were all single as far as he knows.  Jiraiya passed holding onto unrequited love, and Naruto, well, he just thought it’d go the same for him.  He simply never thought to imagine his life as any different.  Girls never thought he was attractive, and even now, with fangirls around him, he’s certain they only see his heroics, and not _him_ , as he is.  

But she, Hinata, looks at him, and it’s still...

Him, damaged, different, dumb.

Him, scarred face, sun-rough skin, semi-prosthetic arm.  

And _yet_ , when he finds himself in her pastel eyes, it’s like he’s..actually…

Way more than that.

 

“Has there been any pain?” Sakura goes through the checklist of questions for his biannual check-up.

He shakes his head.

“Have you had any numbness?”

“No.”

Sakura looks at him with a smile.  “Please rate on a scale from 1 to 5 how well you are able to feel with your arm, 1 being little feeling to 5 being as good as your left arm.”

Naruto stares at his unbandaged arm, its stark whiteness shockingly pale in comparison to the rest of his body.  He clenches and unclenches his hand, flexing his fingers. It’s actually been awhile since he even really thought about it.  “I’d say it’s a 5.”

“Great,” she cheers.  She pauses and continues, her face turning back to a clinical expression, “Are there times when you feel particularly self-conscious about your arm, or that your arm is not a part of you?”  

Despite the doctor-face, he can practically see her thoughts spelled out.  “I haven’t had nightmares in months.”

Her eyes soften, and she shines a smile at him.  “That’s great, Naruto.  Well...that’s all I needed to ask for this check-up.  Did you have any concerns?”

“Nope!”  He re-wraps his arm up in bandages.  Just because he’s gotten used to it doesn’t mean he wants to look at it or show it.

“It seems like you’re doing really well!”

He nods, realizing that, indeed, he has been.  “Yup!  Thanks, Sakura-chan!”  Naruto stands to leave the room.  He’s never much liked hospitals.

“Oh, before you leave, I wanted to tell you congratulations!  I heard about you and Hinata!”

He rubs at the back of his neck and shines a wide grin.  “Thanks!”

“You finally figured it out.”  

“Figured what out?”

Sakura pauses, then gives him _that_ look, like he’s the stupidest human in the world.  “...That the two of you love each other?”

He nods slowly.

Sakura stares at him.  “You don’t know if you love her.”  Her expression twists into something he fears.

“I do!  Love her, yeah, I do!”

Her hands start waving around threateningly.  “You don’t know if you love her?!  How can you not love her?!”

“I said I _do_!  She means a lot to me and I care about her a lot!  Really!”

She squints at him as if looking for deceit.  “Okay, well, have you told her?”

“...Sort of?”

Sakura lets out an exasperated sigh, her hand coming up to her temple.  

“I’ve told her that I care about her and that she’s important to me!  I told her I want to make her happy!” he defends.

Her hands are on her hips, and she’s staring at him, like she’s on the verge of punching him through the wall but holding herself back.  “So you sort of told her, okay, but what are you waiting for?  Why won’t you tell her you love her?”

“It’s not like I’m waiting or anything, I just, I just…”  He can’t describe it.  “I just feel like I don’t know!  I just don’t know!”

“Don’t know what?!”

“I dunno, maybe, what it means?”

Sakura’s face screws up once more.  “What what means?  What love means?”

“Yeah, I guess...maybe I don’t really know what love means?”

Sakura face-palms.  “After all this time, you still don’t know?!  Loving ramen and loving a person* are two different things, Naruto!  Don’t you get that?”

“I mean, yeah, yeah, I get that, but, y’know, I’ve never seen anyone in love, I never had a family, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or say or act or anything!”

She shakes her head incredulously.  “You have no excuse!  Everything Hinata does for you, says to you, acts with you screams _love_!”

Naruto stops to think.  “...Everything?”

“Yes, Naruto.  Everything.  You don’t understand because you’re such a _meathead_.  All you do is care about your training, going on missions, and becoming Hokage.”

“I don’t only care about those things!  I care about Hinata!”

“Uh-huh, okay, sooo what do you do for her?”

“We went on a couple of dates now.  I paid for everything!”

“Alright.  And does that compare to what she’s done for you?”

He frowns.  How on earth is he supposed to repay her for what she’s done for him?

“Are you _trying_ to show her that you love her?  Are you trying to make her feel like she’s important to you?”

“I am!  I am trying!”  He starts feeling defensive.  What does Sakura know about their relationship?

“Well, if you really are trying, understanding what love is should come naturally.  But, let me tell you, Hinata will never truly feel loved back until you verbally respond to her feelings, no matter how much you do for her.  She told me she confessed her feelings to you...Yes, Naruto, we talked about you.  Don’t make her wait.  You _have_ to tell her you love her back.  Just tell her!”

Just tell her.

Just tell her, and everything else will fall into place.

Sakura gave him more ~~directives~~ encouragement before booting him out of the room, as if _he_ was the one taking up _her_ time.  He’s been trying to be a good boyfriend to Hinata, so why did Sakura act like he isn’t?  Did Hinata tell her something?

Is he really just a meathead who only cares about himself?  

The thought truly upsets him.  If he’s going to be Hokage, he has to care for the entire village.  Long ago he decided he wanted the village to be his family.

Family.

Is it really possible for him to have his _own_ family?

With Hinata?

Would the universe allow that for him?

Can he really start a family with Hinata?

She said that she wants kids...does that mean she wants that  _with him_?  

An ache at the bottom of his chest blossoms.  That discomforting feeling he's ignored over the past week of dating bliss.  It's the one that's plagued him for he doesn't know how long. 

What if she doesn't want a family with him?

What if she doesn't want to give her life to him in that way?

What if, after everything, she changes her mind about him?

And he ends up...alone.

He blinks his eyes rapidly to keep himself from spiraling down that path. 

 _"_ _Listen to what I'm telling you!"_   

He nods to himself, holding to the promise he made that day.  If he's learned anything about Hinata, he can't allow himself to assume what she's thinking.  He needs to ask her.  He needs to believe in her.  After all--

He didn't think anyone would ever want to understand him.  Hinata knows him better than he knows himself.

He didn't think she could possibly ever forgive him about Neji.  Hinata says she never held it against him in the first place.

He thought she would hate him for taking her first time while she was drunk.  She told him to stop thinking about it, that she enjoyed it, that she doesn't regret it at all.

He didn't actually believe that anyone could like him enough to want to date him.  They've held hands, shared sweets,  _even hugged_  in public on their numerous dates over the past week.

 _Oh gods_.  He's amazed by her. 

She's a mystery.  Even though he feels like he really, really knows her, she always does or says something that surprises him, makes him feel like...

Makes him feel like...

He needs to tell her.  He needs her to know how he feels. 

That she makes all his fears and doubts look silly. 

That he's finished with being afraid to give himself to her. 

That...he..  

“Naruto-san.”

He breaks out of his thoughts to find a Hyuuga before him, blocking the steps up toward his apartment.

“Uh, yes?”

“Hiashi-sama requests an audience with you if you are available.”

 _Hinata’s dad._  It strikes him that he didn't even consider what her father might think of him.  What if he doesn't...  “...Right now?”  

“If that is possible for you.”

He doesn’t let the man before him know how concerned he actually feels.  He grins.  “I’m free!  Lead the way!”

 

He looks around in wonder at the large hall he was told to enter.  The Hyuuga Main House is just as big on the inside as it looks from the outside.  At the far end of the room sits her father on a patterned zabuton.

“Come, Naruto.  Please have a seat.”

“Er, sorry for the intrusion,” he fumbles out in a poor attempt at manners he doesn’t even practice with the Hokage.  He crosses the hall feeling out of his element in the austere, traditional household.  He plops himself down on the cushion before her father, knowingly forgoing seiza.  The last time he had to do it for an undercover mission, he couldn’t even stand back up, almost getting him killed in a surprise attack.

The intimidating man stares at him silently.

Naruto stares back, and in the uncomfortable silence, his nerves get the better of him.  “I know why you called me here.  But please, Hiashi-san, I really care about Hinata, and she means so much to me, so please let me date her.  I promise I’ll be good to her and try my best for her!  Please, Hiashi-san, I know I’m not-”

“Naruto.”

“...Yes?”

“I know my daughter.  She is headstrong.  Nothing I say or do would stop her from courting you.”

“...Oh.”  Naruto hadn’t really quite realized that her stubbornness extended even to him.

The man continues, “I apologize for the abrupt meeting.  She told me this morning about her relationship with you.”

 _She told him today!_ “It’s no problem, Hiashi-san!  I have time, I’m not busy!”

The man returns to staring at him.

Naruto averts his gaze to a random point on the wall, trying his best to not fidget under the man’s scrutiny.

“It’s been awhile since I last saw you.  Not since after the Memorial Service. You’ve grown,” he comments, sounding almost thoughtful.

The teen smiles, uncertain.  He never knew Hinata’s father to be sentimental, especially about him.  “Yeah, I guess it’s been over a year, huh?”

“Yes, it has been…”  Hiashi suddenly clears his throat, and Naruto senses that they’re about to get down to business.  “I called you here to see you and talk to you.  I am put at ease knowing that you are serious about her.”

Naruto bobs his head up and down vigorously.  “I’m serious about her, Hiashi-san.”

“...If for any reason, however, Hinata comes home crying, betrayed by you-”

“I’D NEVER!”

Hiashi’s harsh stare returns.

Naruto doesn’t let it deter him.  “I’d never hurt her!  Never!  I swear it on my nindo and I never go back on my word!”

Her father’s severe expression doesn’t let up, but his tone deescalates.  “The elders are looking for someone trustworthy and strong enough to protect her Kekkei Genkai in the event something were to happen to her.”

Naruto gulps.  He can be trustworthy and strong.  He would protect her, though he can’t imagine Hinata actually needing it.  “I’d protect her, Hiashi-san.”

His statement is followed by another uncomfortable silence.  Long enough for Naruto to wonder if he needs to somehow prove his word, but Hiashi begins speaking once more.  “...I have watched you ever since you defeated my late nephew in the Chuunin Exams.  With your achievements in your career, I know that you are dedicated…”

Naruto turns his gaze down.  What if the compliments are just a preface for a rejection?  So far, it doesn’t sound like the man really likes him.

“...This may seem soon to you as you both have only just started dating, but I need to know, if only to alleviate the pressure from the council on my daughter, are you considering marrying her?”

Naruto’s chest constricts at the question, his eyes widening.  “Am I...am I allowed to?” he asks with trepidation.

“Well, if that is what my daughter wants, which I hardly think is an issue, then yes.”

“...I’m allowed to?” he repeats in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“And you’re..okay with that?  With me?”

Hiashi frowns.  “No father wants to let his daughter go, but if you are considering marrying her, I would vouch for you with the elders.  They are also well-aware of your deeds and would likely approve.”

He hardly knows what to do with himself.  He wants to cry or maybe laugh in relief.  He turns his watery eyes up at the ceiling and blinks rapidly, willing the tears to retreat back into his face.  He takes many steadying breaths.

“I take that as a yes.”

Naruto nods, wiping his face on his sleeve.  “Sorry, sorry.”  He tries to apologize for his loss of composure, not that he really ever had it in the first place.  “I just...never thought...”

Hiashi relaxes into an impassive gaze.  “Make my daughter happy, Naruto.”

He nods, not quite able to say anything more as another lump forms in his throat.

“She’s in your care.”  Unbelievably, her father bows to him.

He nods harder.  “I’ll do my best.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.”  Naruto attempts to bow back, but it’s just awkward in his cross-legged position.  He clambers into seiza and bows in return.

Hiashi gives him a near-smile.

Naruto grins widely back, finding everything in himself expanding until he feels lighter than even the air.  

And he’s flying, his feet carrying him faster than he thought possible toward Team 8’s preferred training field.  He hollers a celebratory cry to give them some kind of warning of his hastened approach and jumps right into their sparring match with a roundhouse kick aimed at Kiba.

“Naruto, what are you doing here?!” Kiba asks in bewilderment, jumping away just in time.

“Distracting you!”

“What?

Akamaru leaps toward him, and Shino sends a swarm of bugs his way, but Naruto clones himself a few dozen times.  In the ensuing chaos, he grabs Hinata, smirks at her surprised expression, and carries her away.

He doesn’t stop his mad sprint until he’s skidding to a stop at the door of his apartment, but even then, he only lets her down once they’re safely in his living room.

“Naruto-kun, what’s going on?” Hinata finally asks, bewildered, but with a hint of amusement in her tone.

“Hinata!...Hinata!...”  He tries to catch his breath, but his excitement is too much to bear.  He grabs her hands and swings their arms between them.  There’s no way for him to eloquently explain the hope he’s feeling.  The words trapped at the tip of his tongue burst out.  “Let’s get married!”

Her jaw drops.

He’s practically bouncing, still feeling flight in his feet.  “Let’s get married, Hinata!  Let’s have kids!  Let’s be a family!”  He can very nearly picture it, them and their kids, going to the park together, eating Hinata’s home-cooking together, training together.  Each day since the party, each second since speaking to her father, painted a clearer, more detailed, brighter vision.  “I talked to your dad just a minute ago, and he said okay!  Well, I didn’t mention the kids part, but he said I could marry you if you want to, and do you want to!  Do you want to, Hinata!”

Her mouth shuts, then drops open again.  She blinks at him.

Her silence is deafening to him.  He feels his insides twisting, his high amassing into weight.  He lets go of her.  “Ah...I mean…”

Hinata suddenly squeezes him tighter than he thought possible for her build, and he can’t even breathe.

“Hi-Hina…”

She lets him go.  She’s smiling up at him, her eyes shining.  “I want to!  I want all of those things, Naruto-kun!”

“Really?” he breathes out.  He feels like he’s grown wings again.

She nods, her smile unfaltering.  “Do you...really want that with me?”

He looks at her as sincerely as he can.  “Yes!  Definitely, definitely yes.”

She hugs him and presses her face against his chest.  

He wraps his arms around her back and squeezes her affectionately.

She sighs.  “I love you, Naruto-kun.  I love you so much.”

Naruto holds her tighter, feeling her words wrapped in trembling emotion settle within him.  He closes his eyes, basking in her soothing warmth.  It lays away all his fears, and what’s left is easier than anything.  “I love you, Hinata…I really love you.  You have no idea.”

She’s silent.  And then he realizes that she’s completely still.

His contentment turns to concern.  He tries to look at her, but she hides her face from him.

Her shoulders shake in his arms.  She lets out a harsh gasp.

“Hinata?!”  He steps away from her.

Her hands automatically come up to her face, wiping away tears.  “I’m sorry, I’m just so..so happy, Naruto-kun.  I’m so, so happy!”  He can make out her smile from behind her arms.

He smiles, too.  A laugh bubbles out of him.  “Me, too, Hinata!  Me, too!  I’m so, so happy!”  He grabs her into a hug again even as she tries to straighten herself out.  “I’m so happy!”  He moves her hands out of the way and kisses her.  He draws away from her lips only minimally and stays eye-level with her, taking in her happy tears.

“Is this really happening?” she asks, beaming a smile at him.

“It is, isn’t it?”

Hinata pecks his lips.  She hums happily for a second and nods.  “Yes.”

“Yes,” he repeats.  “This is happening.”

“Yes,” she reassures.

He stands straighter.  “Yes.”  He runs to the window and throws it open.  “YES!  I’M MARRYING HYUUGA HINATA!!”

Pedestrians below stop in surprise.  

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata calls out, shocked.

“I’m marrying her!!” he hollers out for the world to hear, each repetition more official than the last.

Whistles, claps, and cheers come from below.

“Wooh!”  He pumps his fist in response to their sound approval before turning back toward her.  “I think they disbursed all my clones and are on their way here!” he excitedly exclaims.  

“...Oh!  My team?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to let you go back to them!”  Naruto is too happy to feel worried about having sabotaged her training session.

A pounding resounds on his door.

“They’re here!”  Naruto jogs over to the genkan and flings the door wide open.  

“NARUTO-”

“WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!” he yells at their angry faces.

Shino and Kiba stare at him, speechless.  Even Akamaru.

He shines his largest grin.

Shino recovers first.  “Congratulations.”

“Thanks!”  He rubs the back of his neck, suddenly bashful.

Hinata steps up behind him.

“Congratulations, Hinata.”  Shino nods at her with a smile.

“WAIT, wait, wait, wait just a moment!  You guys are getting married?”  Kiba looks at them flabbergasted.

“Yup!”

Hinata nods.

“And you decided that just now?”

Naruto nods vigorously.  “Yeah!”

The wild-haired chuunin blinks at them.

Hinata blushes.  “Kiba-kun…”

He grabs her into a bear hug, practically lifting her off the floor.  “That’s amazing, Hinata!”

“Hey, hands off my future wife!”

Kiba puts her down, but lands his hands on her shoulders.  “Well, we came to steal you back no matter your state of undress, but seeing that you are newly engaged, let’s get everyone together and celebrate!”

“Yeah!  Wait..what?”  Naruto’s joy turns into horror as all of his words process.  “Kiba!  What the fuck!”

“Just kidding ya!”  Kiba scrunches an amused look at Hinata’s red face.  “But seriously, let’s go get drinks or something!”

“Err, alright!”  Naruto gets over the idea of Kiba bursting in on them.  “Sai’s on a mission, but we’ll go try to get Sakura-chan to join us!  And we’ll meet you guys at…?”

“Yakiniku Q.  Especially if Choji’s coming with,” Kiba decides.  

So he finds themselves back at the hospital, tracking down his former teammate.  

“HEY, Sakura-chan!” he yells, assuredly loud enough to earn her full attention and reprimand.  

The pinkette turns around, eyes blazing with fire.  She marches over to him, pulling him up against the wall.  She hisses angrily, “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re in a hospital!  Keep your voice down!”

He grins.  “We have news to tell you!”

Sakura notices Hinata’s bright expression.  “News?”

The bluenette nods, cheeks pink.  

Sakura drops him to the floor, completely ignoring his complaints.  “What happened?”

“Um, Naruto-kun...he asked me..um...if I wanted to marry him.”

“She said yes!” Naruto interjects with a wide smile, still sitting down.

Sakura looks at them in surprise.  “That’s..wow!  That’s wonderful news!”  She turns a confused look down at the blonde.  “How’d you go from not knowing what love is to proposing to her?”

“Ahh…”  He rubs his neck nervously, standing back up.  “It’s a long story.  I can tell you later.  But we came to find you to see if you’ll be off soon?  We’re all going to go eat at Yakiniku Q to celebrate.”  He takes Hinata’s hand and smiles at her.

“I’d love to come, but…”

“You have to work?” Naruto asks, well-aware that Sakura is a workaholic.

“Yes, I’m sorry.  But even if I can’t come tonight, know that I am really happy for both of you!”  She smiles widely at them, her green eyes sparkling with evident joy.

“Thanks, Sakura-chan!...Make sure you get some rest, too.”  Naruto realizes that even if he’s mostly recovered from the war, some people haven’t.  

“Yes, yes,” she says dismissively.  

“I’ll come by to tell you more later!”  

“Alright, now stop causing a commotion and get outta here.”  Sakura waves them out of the hospital.  “Congratulations you two!”

By the time they get to the restaurant, they find a few of their friends already gathered.

Tenten pulls Hinata into a tight hug and Rock Lee energetically pats Naruto on the back, approving of their youthful hearts.  

They head in to get started on appetizers and are soon joined by Shino, Kiba, Choji, and Ino.  Once the congratulatory cheers reside and everyone, except Lee, had a drink, Ino fills the lull of conversation.  “I thought the two of you only just started dating!”

“Uhh, yeah, I guess so.”  Naruto nods noncommitedly.   

“It doesn’t feel too soon to decide this sort of thing?”

Naruto blinks at her.  “Not really.”

“Yeah, Hinata, we know you’ve liked him for a long time, but are you _sure_ you want to get tied down to this buffoon?” Kiba asks with a smile.  

Hinata just blushes, nodding happily.

“Still, yet, though, a week seems pretty short,” Ino reiterates.

“A week of courting is not at all short in the Aburame Clan,” Shino defends.  

“Really?”  Ino looks at him with clear skepticism.

“Yes, because of our bugs-”**

“It’s okay, Shino, you don’t have to explain.  I’ll take your word for it,” the blonde kunoichi nervously interrupts.  “Plus, Naruto and Hinata aren’t Aburames.”

“Well, it’s not like we’ve only been together for a week,” Naruto huffs, a bit annoyed.

“Sai-kun told me it was your first date!”

“Ahhh, I mean, yeah, it was, but..” he attempts to backtrack.

Kiba’s snickering can be heard.

“BUT,” Naruto tries to talk over him.  “We’ve known each other for a long time, and who wouldn’t want to marry Hinata, right?  She’s the best!”

“Aww,” Ino exclaims.  Her smile turns curious as Kiba finally stops laughing.  “What’re you giggling about all by yourself for?”

Naruto catches Hinata throwing warning glares at a paling Kiba, and he realizes his future wife is, indeed, scary.

“What?”  Kiba breaks from Hinata's expression to look at Ino, as if she’s the strange one.

However, everyone knows that Ino has strong sensory abilities, and that must, unfortunately, include detecting liars.

“You’re hiding something.  What is it.  Speak up before I find out for myself.”  Her brows raise suggestively, and even Naruto knows that she’s talking about her mental jutsus.

Kiba turns wide-eyed at Hinata.

Naruto silently curses himself for his big mouth.  “What Kiba knows is that Hinata and I were already...together.  Before last week.”

“SINCE WHEN?”  Practically the entire table asks, except Shino and Kiba.

“Well...I guess since around the Rinne Festival?”  He turns to look at Hinata for her confirmation.

She’s looking at him, stock-still.  

He tightens his mouth into an expression of apology.

“That long?!  And you guys didn’t tell us?!” Ino asks.

“Yeah, why didn’t you tell us?  You could’ve at least told me!” Tenten adds.

“Uh, um…” Hinata verbalizes.

“The two of you have been together for almost seven months!” Ino cries out in renewed astonishment.  “Did Sakura know this?”

Naruto looks at Hinata.  “I didn’t tell her.  Did you?”

She shakes her head.  

“Why would you hide something as youthful as young love?” Lee wonders.

“I didn’t think what we had would last,” Naruto murmurs.  His gaze stays on Hinata, who looks up at him in that moment with a reassuring smile.

“Whaaat, why would you think that?  The two of you are perfect together!  We’ve all been wondering when the two of you would finally get together!” Tenten complains.

Naruto shrugs.  It seems silly to think of now when literally his whole afternoon has felt like an epic dream, but he responds to her question anyway.  “I shouldn’t have to say it, right?”  He grins sheepishly.  “You all know that Hinata is way too good for me.”

“That’s not-”

Hinata’s rebuttal is interrupted by the entire table’s vocal agreements.  

He thought that she would leave him, like everyone else in his life he ever felt something strong for.  They all chose someone else over him, left him in some way, or parted from him at some point.  Almost all of the meaningful relationships he has now were forged through violent effort, literally, on his part.  Shouldn’t earning Hinata’s love have been the same?...

But if tonight is any indication, with the way she’s leaning against his side, her face glowing with the 3% alcohol she’s been nursing for the past hour, she won’t be leaving his side any time soon.

“You don’t have overnight patrol, do you?” he whispers.

She shakes her head and smiles innocently.  “My father doesn’t know that, though,” she whispers back.  He can see the sneaky glint in her eyes.

He quirks a brow at her and grins conspiratorially.  He raises his voice, saying, “Hinata’s tired from the overnight patrol, so we’re gonna get going.”

“It’s hardly even 7!” Kiba exclaims.

Naruto pulls out some money, but the rest of the table shouts at him to put it away and let him be treated for once.

“Thanks, guys, really.”  Naruto gets up and smiles at everyone before turning back to Hinata.  

She’s holding onto his arm, her touch giving him that special feeling.

“Congrats, you two!” Ino cheers, followed by everyone else’s well-wishes.

He guides her wandering, tipsy form back to his apartment.

They shower together, giggling, kissing, and touching each other until he climaxes within her.

They lie together in bed, though the hour is still early.  Her hand lightly caresses his bare chest.  “Naruto-kun?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

He smiles and curls in toward her to better hold her.  “I love you, Hinata.”

She snuggles him a bit, then stills.  “Do you...really want to marry me?”

“Yeah.  I meant it.  Do you really want to marry me?”

“Yes.”  She kisses him, and he holds her tighter.

“You know how Ino was saying it seems a bit soon?”

She nods.

“Did you feel the same way?”

She hums.  “I was surprised, but I just wasn’t expecting you to ask.  We only made our relationship public last week, and I was still so happy from just that.  And now...now I’m so happy, I don’t know how I can ever be happier than this.  It just feels unbelievable.”

Naruto kisses her again.  “Thank you, Hinata...Thank you for loving me.  You don’t know how happy you’ve made me.”

She makes a confused sound.  “Don’t thank me, Naruto-kun!  I couldn’t help it even if I tried.”

“Then, I’m sorry for taking so long to tell you I love you back.”

“I don’t want you to apologize to me, either.”

He pouts.

She just smiles brightly at him.

“I really do love you.”  Now that he’s said it, he feels like he can’t stop telling her so.  The phrase fits, however unfamiliar he was with it before, he knows it’s right and true.

“I love you, Naruto-kun.”

He rubs his hand down her clothed back and hip.  “You know, I just couldn’t believe it, and even now, I can’t really believe it,” he murmurs.

She waits for him to continue his line of thought, her eyes shining up at him.

“How can you love me?  What did I do to deserve you?  Will you really stay with me?”

“Of course I’ll stay with you!  You’re everything I admire.  Just...you, too...don’t leave me.”

“I won’t leave you.”

They snuggle closely, kissing, and he can feel how natural it is to seek out the deep warmth of her being.

Hinata breaks away from him, breathing harder than before.  “Why do you love me?”

“Why do I love you?”

She nods.  

“...You make me feel comfortable.  I can be myself around you.  You’re so patient with me…”  He smiles at her.  “Plus you’re a kickass kunoichi who’s saved my life more than once like it’s no big deal, so that’s pretty hot, y’know.”  

Her earnest expression turns into one of embarrassment.

He hums in thought.  There’s always more he could say.  It’s all the little things, too, past and present, and he realizes he has no idea where his love began.  Somewhere in his genin days, through missions, up through the war and until now, she grew more and more special to him, setting herself apart from everyone else.  “I think I might’ve loved you for a long time,” he contemplates aloud.

“...Really?”

“I always thought you were really cool.  Do you remember when you defeated that guy with the magnetic body?”

“Jiga?”

“I dunno.  He knocked me out, but you figured out what to do.  And he was way bigger than you.  And there was that time when we tried to get that stupid bug, and those bee people wrapped all of us up, and you fought against all three of them on your own.  And those guys were like, what, our age.  And we at the time were all just in our preteens.”  Wait.  So how many times has she saved his life, exactly?  He frowns.  “Damn it, Hinata.  Why do you gotta be so cool!?  I swear, if it weren’t for you, I’d probably be dead, the world would be under the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and Sasuke would just be a lunatic all on his lonesome.”

She’s shaking her head, looking at him like he’s spewing nonsense.  “You would be fine without me.”

“No, it’s true, Hinata!  If not for you, the whole world would be dead.”

Her head-shaking gets faster, her eyes squinting with his serious exaggerations.  “...No...and well, if you died, Kurama-san would have died, too.  And the Juubi wouldn’t have been able to form.”

**_This girl’s a smart one._ **

_Shut up, stupid fox!_

“But if you died, I wouldn’t be able to bear it, Naruto-kun.”  She looks at him sadly.  “ _I’d_ rather die than live in a world without you.”  

What grips him is he knows she’s not kidding.  How can she say things like that?  How can anyone feel so strongly for him?  How can he possibly resist that?  He often wondered as a child if anyone ever even thought about him.  He always wanted someone to need him.  He always needed someone to notice him.  He gathers her up and peppers kisses against her lips, cheeks, and neck, relishing her giggles and squirming.  “See?  You give me no choice but to love you!”

“What?” she gasps out, still blushing from his onslaught of kisses.

He hovers over her.  “You asked me why I love you.  It was never my choice to begin with, you did this to me.  Saving my life, cooking for me, being all sexy and cute.  You planned this, didn’t you.”

“Wh-wha-”

“You’re going to have to take responsibility and marry me!”

She smiles brightly at him, but he doesn’t let her smile for long.  

He presses his lips against hers and doesn’t wait to taste her.  Their tongues press and twist together as his hand finds the edge of her shirt impatiently.  He palms her stomach and slides his fingers up her warm skin to press into her soft breast and brush at her nipple.

“Naruto-kun,” she breathily moans.  

“You’re not too tired, are you?”

She hums a disagreement.

“Good, because I don’t know if I would stop anyway.”

“Naruto-kun!” she scolds with a giggle.

He returns to kissing her, half his mind on the alternating caresses of her fingertips and clawing of blunt nails into his back.  Anticipation has him pulling his arm out from under her neck to get rid of his shorts, which he does much more quickly than Hinata.

She’s hardly got her top off, her arms still stuck above her face in the sleeves before he takes a rosy peak into his mouth.  She squeals his name out, and it only encourages him to tease her nipple more.

“Naruto-kun!” she whines, her line of sight finally free of the clothing.

He looks up at her embarrassed blushing and smirks.  “Yes?”  He circles his tongue along the areola and nudges the hardened nub upwards.  

Her eyes squeeze shut, and she whimpers.

He draws his hand down to her soft heat, collecting moisture on his fingers and spreading it across her clit.  

“Mm…”  Her lips tighten and twitch.

He kisses her, his tongue finding hers once more.  His fingers rub at her, rewarding him with her gasps.  He occasionally dips back down to her entrance, collecting new arousal on his fingertips, before returning to pressing her button.

Her muted cries against his mouth grow more frustrated until eventually she can’t kiss him back.  “Na...Naruto-kuuun…” she quietly begs.  Her hips move against his hand so much that he’s hardly applying any pressure himself anymore.  She’s so horny she’s practically masturbating in front of him.

He watches her angelic face scrunch up in concentration, her curvy body squirm, her soft thighs rub over his wrist.  He sits up and squeezes her round breasts, gently pinching her nipples.

She moans louder.  “Oh, Naruto-kun, oh, mmm…”  

His fingers slide against her womanhood easily, and he’s aching to be inside her, to feel her wet arousal coating him slick, but he holds off, mesmerized by her wantonness.  “You’re so wet, Hina…”

She lets out a frustrated mewl.  “It’s...because...of you…”

He watches how she wiggles against his hand, her pelvis pushing up at him.  He disagrees.  “I’m not doing anything,” he breathes out in a slight chuckle.

“N-no, you’re... _touching_ me!”

Well, he is.  He brings renewed attention to teasing her sensitive nipples, and she twists and shivers beneath his hands.  She’s so damn sexy.  He leans down and licks at her body, and his finger penetrates her tight entrance.  He slips another finger in.

Her moans turn desperate, and she’s humping his hand.  “N-Naruto- _kuun_ …”

He wants to be inside her so badly.

“Naruto-kuuun, I _want youu_ …”

 _She wants me_.  He takes his hand out and hurriedly spreads her legs.

Her expression twists into a grimace.

He sticks his fingers back in her quickly, earning him satisfied moans.  

His name tumbles from her lips again as she tosses her head back and forth against the pillow.  

She looks so close.  He resolves himself to bring her to climax first with just his hands, something his impatience and excitement has rarely been able to endure.  He draws his fingers in and out of her, while trying to rub at her clit at the same time.  It’s hard.

He only has two hands!  And one hand is quite content squeezing her soft boobs.  He can’t even summon a clone, not that he wants to share (he _really_ doesn’t).  If only he had another hand…

His eyes dart back to her far-gone expression.  Her eyes are shut tight.  She’s wiggling uncontrollably, and her breath hitches uneven.  Her womanhood is soft, wet, so wet.  He can smell her sex, uniquely hers...

He could...he can...and she probably won’t be able to stop him.  Not with how she is right now. “You’re _so wet_ ,” he repeats.  

“Naruto-kun,” she gasps out, her voice soft, sultry, begging.

He wants her to call his name more.  Let it be _him_ who dominates her mind, body, soul, in ways that no one else ever has, in ways that he never has before.  He has to make sure she knows that he wants her, loves her.

“I love you, Hinata.”

“I...I love you...Na...ruto-kun…”

He removes his fingers from her folds, and he can hear how she sucks a breath in and whines as if he took away something precious.  In hardly more than a second he’s off the bed, pulling her legs down, adjusting her hips to the edge.

She lets out a noise of surprise.  “Na-?”

The taste is indescribable.  He increases the pressure, tonguing off her slippery arousal in long, hard movements.  

“Na-!  Naru...nonononono...hm?!...oh my...Naru-!”  She can’t even complete his name, let alone properly push him away.  Despite her confused sounds, her pelvis twists toward him, and he eagerly holds her hips with his free arm.  

His fingers push into her, seeking more before he’s just drinking his own saliva because _damn it_ he’s never felt thirsty like this before.  He swallows and continues, his tongue eventually finding its way down to her weeping entrance, plunging into her folds as far as he can, his thumb taking over swirling her clit.  Her smell is everywhere, filling his senses, and he can’t stop. Her taste is a lot of things, a flavor he knows but doesn’t, not really quite salty, bitter, citrus, or not really quite anything.  It’s just _her_ , intoxicating.  He licks the length of her womanhood and circles his lips around her clit.  His fingers penetrate her vigorously, mimicking the way he wants to pound into her with his pulsing member.  He sucks, his tongue pressing against her.

“Naruto!!  Oh my-! NarutoNarutoNarutoNaru-”  Her cries are loud. The chant of his name coming out broken and desperate, only serving to spur him on in an act that suddenly gains incredible intimacy.  Her body bends and bows, her feet kicking into his back roughly. Her legs lock, and he licks, sucks, and fingers her unrelentingly.

He’s reaching a part of her that he’s never seen or heard before.  A part of himself that he’s never felt before either. The act embodying every hungry, lustful, possessive feeling he’s ever held for her.  His name burns in her untamed voice, calling an existence that lay deeper, forbidden, within him.

“Ohhh!” she moans suddenly.  Strained hums dissolve into a whimper.  “Ohnono…”

He sucks and tongues her clit hard, sensing her arrival.

“I’m-!  Oh!  Oh!”

He twists and rubs her tightening, gushing folds, prolonging her high, her body writhing above him for several long seconds.  His fingers withdraw, dripping with her fragrant cum. He’s panting from the oral exertion and turns his attention to her soaked entrance.  He presses his lips there, licking and swallowing.

Her legs spasm, sensitive to his touch.  “Naruto-kuuun,” she whimpers, her tone distressed, and he can tell she’s deeply embarrassed.

He pulls up, sucking his fingers, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, readying himself between her legs.

Her hands are over her face, dark with her blush.  “Naruto-kuun, how could you do _something like that_?” she murmurs, obviously scandalized.

But he doesn’t really care to answer that.  All he can register is her soft body, enticing smell, and the taste of her on his tongue.  “Hina, that was fucking sexy.”  He easily slips into her, bottoming out in less than a second.  

Their moans are simultaneous.  

Her hands fall off her face, and he can see her dazed expression, glazed eyes, tangled hair, curled up lips.

“Fuck,” he mutters.  “Fuck, Hina, so, fucking, sexy,” he punctuates with sharp thrusts.  Her gasps fill his ears, and his heart is beating a mile a minute, adrenaline running through his limbs.  He swallows a groan and finds the taste of her lingering.  “You tasted fucking delicious.”

“Naruto-kuuun,” she complains, her eyes squeezing shut at his perverse language.

He doesn’t want her to be reserved.  He thrusts faster, his hard shaft sliding deeply into her, sending tingling pleasure dancing up his spine.  He leans into her, intent on kissing her, forcing her to taste herself, to taste their forbidden intimacy.

She gasps in a second of resistance before his mouth and tongue meet hers.  Her kissing is hesitant for a while, but he plies her tongue to work with his until she’s returning his passion with equal fervor.

He props himself up and smirks.  Somewhere between here and there his hand found her breast, and she’s arching into his hand as his fingers pull at her nipple.  He pounds into her, watching her body shake with his force. The sight locks his chest, tightening around his heart, and he can’t pull his hungry gaze away from her.  “See, Hina...you’re so fucking sexy.”  He pulls her legs up to his shoulders, her passage closely gripping his desire.

“Naruto-ku...mmm…”  

He plunges into her.

He watches the softness of her breast quiver in his hand, her waist shimmying to meet his thrusts.  Lust clouds his thoughts, and he grabs her hips to drive into her unrelentingly.

“Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Na-ru-to!”  

There it is.  He grinds against her, savoring her clenching sex, before pulling her legs to one shoulder.

She turns over, laying on her side, her legs curling down on the bed.

He locks gazes with her hazy, moonlit eyes before taking in the curve of her shoulder, to the dark valley of her heavy breasts, to her pinched waist, to her round hips and ass.  He palms her thick thigh and smooth small of her back, finding satisfying handholds, and lunges into her.

She’s tight and wet, and she twists in his hold.  Her body is so soft and so easy to manipulate.  And she likes it.  He knows she likes it.  She wants it, him.  She wants him, even loves him.  

He lets out a harsh breath.  He groans, the feeling of her tightness around him sending him higher and higher.  “I love you, Hina.”

“I...love...you...Narutoo…”  

His name like that from her lips is too much.  He collapses over her seeking her kiss.  He makes out with her, his throbbing member pushing into her soaked womanhood.  He lets out another shuddering breath.  “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you,” she returns.  “I love you so much.”

He reaches his arm beneath her neck and spoons her, his dick still snuggled deep within her.  He holds her close, his hand enclosing around her breast, her skin filling his fingers.  He pushes into her, their eager joining making sloppy noises.  “Hinata,” he groans.  He rolls her softness in his hand and brushes her nipple.

She pushes back onto his groin, welcoming his piercing length.  One hand reaches back to grab at his thigh, while the other smoothes over the arm beneath her before settling into the palm of his hand, her fingers twining with his.

He breathes in her scent and sucks at her neck.  

Her head turns to meet his lips, and their tongues lave over each other’s.  Her legs wrap around his, tangling their bodies together.  Little sounds continuously mewl out of her with each thrust and pinch of his fingers.  

He can’t get over how she fits so perfectly, so pleasurably, in his arms, hands, against his body, around his thick shaft.  He can feel all of her.  He wants to feel more of her.  He moans her name, wishing to go deeper, wishing to connect with her even more closely.  He shifts onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

She arches, her womanhood sliding down, nestling his engorged length even more deeply.  She shivers against him, her ass plush on his pelvis.

He groans, his eyes shutting tight, his arms wrapping around her stomach.  He starts shoving into her quickly, her body stretching and bouncing on him.  Every thrust sends searing pleasure flaring through him, every nerve ending alive against her warm, soft skin.  His balls are coated in her dripping arousal, and he reaches into her slippery heat easily, his erect member growing still.  “Hinata...oh, Hinata, I want to do this with you all night…”

“Oh, yes...” she responds with a breathy moan.  

He’s breathing hard, trying to stave off his impending orgasm, even as he moves with her.  

Her fingers stroke fire up the seam of his balls, sending ecstatic pleasure racing up his spine.

He pitches into her with a cry.  He grabs at her hand, scolding her, “You’re gonna make me come, Hina.”  

“Mmm…” she responds in a low hum, her butt wiggling on him, his dick moving with her.

He shakes his head, trying not to think that she wants him to.  He holds her fingers tightly, pulling her down as he pushes up into her.  He brings there joined hands to where he’s connected with her.  He can feel how her pussy lips are spread around his swollen manhood, how wet and sticky he is with her excitement.

“Narutoo…” she moans, as he rests their fingers on their intimate connection.

“Hinata..”

“You’re so _deep_ …”

He can’t control his breathing, all brain functions shutting down at the sound of her voice, at her words.  “I wanna go deeper in you, Hina…”

She moans in approval.

He groans.  He’s not going to last much longer.  He flips them over, onto her stomach.  “Come for me, Hina.  Come for me all night,” he groans into her ear.  He thrusts into her rapidly, her tight, weeping channel hugging him, clinging around his sensitive rod.

Her ass wiggles up at him uncontrollably, and he pounds into her with abandon.  “Oh, Naruto!  Oh!  Feels, so, good…”

 _She’s the one who feels so good_.  He clenches his jaw, ready to explode into her, his dick longer and harder than he’s ever been before.  “Fuck,” he gasps.  “Ugh, Hina, Hinata…”

She squirms and wiggles beneath him uncontrollably, her ass soft, her folds wet and tight around him.  She moans his name, her voice low, strained, and muffled against the pillow. “I love you, I love you, I love you so much...mmm…”

He sucks in a breath, her plush hold clenching around him, igniting him with unendurable ecstasy surging through his veins.  He pushes into her as deep as he can possibly go, every part of him a part of her, and he’s shooting into her hard, spewing the first wave of his euphoria vigorously within her.  His vision blanks bright as he ejaculates the next rope of thick cum to flood her fluttering walls.

"Ahh!" she breathlessly cries, shivering against him.  Her clinging folds milk him, alternating between sucking on him and soaking him in her own completion.  

He presses his pelvis closely, letting the high flow through him, into her, mixing with her.  He fills her with steady spurts, emptying all of himself in lingering swells of satisfaction. He finally lets out a long sigh, his heart trembling.  He breathes against her nape, making his way back to her lips.  He shifts off of her, embracing her close, kissing her affectionately.  “I love you, Hinata.”

“I love you, Naruto-kun,” she murmurs against his lips.  

They kiss slowly, softly.  

“I love you, y’know.”

“I love you,” she returns, and he can hear her sincerity.

He pauses to gaze at her.

Her eyelids hang low with the call of sleep.  Her dark hair, messy, frames her face.

“Goodnight, love.”  He tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, clearing her pale shoulder for him to admire.

Her eyelashes flutter up, her lips curled contentedly, prettily.  “Goodnight, Naruto-kun."  Her dozy gaze meets his.  "I love you.”  Her voice lilts in a soft sigh, tranquil.  She cuddles closer to him.

He relaxes, holding her, dreaming of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *line taken from The Last.  
> **reference to emmykay's "A Prior Engagement." Shino gets an arranged marriage, Hinata decides to try it out, hilarity ensues.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!  
> This story's been a ton of fun for me to write x)
> 
> Next chapter will be telling more of Hinata's side. I'm inviting suggestions as I don't have anything set in stone yet! ^^


	13. Night Daze (Hinata's side)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I wanted to include but couldn't because it just didn't flow well: how Hinata snuck out every night.  
> There are no Hyuuga guards in this story. Much like in The Last when the puppets kidnap Hanabi, it's easy to get in and out of the Main House quickly. Hinata just leaves. She's a strong kunoichi, and no one's really keeping an eye on her anymore now that she aged out of Ko's care. She obviously takes full advantage of her freedom ;D
> 
> This chapter shows some of Hinata's thoughts from chapters 2 through 5 in flashbacks, and the chapter starts/ends about two weeks or so before THE mission and Naruto tells her she's perfect to him.
> 
> Please enjoy the NaruHina <3

Tenten scowls and rolls her eyes.  “Can you believe that guys like that _exist_?”  

Hinata pinches her lips together and tilts her head in a form of a silent answer.

“Do I come off that way?  I never thought that I came off that way.”  The brunette frowns and looks down at her dress.

“I...don’t think you do, Tenten-chan.  I’m sure that guy must be like that to all girls.”

She nods.  “I should have handed his ass to him so that he doesn’t act like that to a girl ever again.  I was just too shocked to do anything at the time!”

“I would be surprised, too,” Hinata offers.  She thinks she would be if a guy suddenly proposed to show her a good time in bed.

Tenten groans.  “I should have done _something_.  I need a guy who will treat me with respect.  You, too, Hinata!  Don’t settle for anything less.  If this ever happens to you, you need to kick his ass, at least for me!”

Hinata’s brows raise in surprise.  She doesn’t know what to say.  “Oh...um…”

The weapons specialist laughs.  “If it could happen to me, it could happen to you!”

She bites her lips.  Has it already happened to her?  “...I hope not.”

“I hope not, too!”  Tenten huffs.  “Some guys are just so stupid.  Anyway, last week I showed Sakura the sealing scroll I’ve been experimenting with and…”

Hinata relaxes at the change in topic.  Tenten’s experience was making her think about the status of her sort-of-not-really-maybe-kind-of-relationship with Naruto that has been going on for a few months now.  

She wants more.  Of course she wants more!  But it’s not so simple as that.  Of course it’s not that simple.

Because it’s her fault things turned out this way in the first place.  Well, she thinks it’s her fault.  She’s smart enough to know that it takes two for something like this to happen, but as a whole, mostly, generally-speaking, she thinks she rushed things.  

Naruto is obviously not ready for romance.  

She can see it.  He openly stares at her when he answers the door, _each time_ , as if he absolutely cannot believe that she came to see him again.  He looks _so surprised_ when she brings him bentos, _each time_ , as if she has never done so before.  And when she has the courage to compliment him or when she gets caught admiring him, he tries to hide it, either by turning his face, grinning, or just doing something else, but he blushes _so hard_ , as if they haven’t been intimate for the past three months.

She can hear it.  On the nights he’s particularly impatient, he curses.  A lot.  His language gets rough, like some kind of gangster, and it would be funny, except he whispers it when he’s kissing her.  When she undresses.  When he’s moving in her.  As if he’s never seen her naked before.

She can feel it.  When he thinks she’s already asleep, he touches her with _one_ finger, tracing the corners of her eyes where her Byakugan would stress, her cheekbones, or the veins on her hands.  As if she’s fragile, as if she’s not real.

It’s adorable.  It makes her want to spoil him.  

It’s intense.  It makes him seem at times more like a force of nature than a boy.  

It’s troubling.  She doesn’t know where she stands with him, or if he even wants to define what they are to each other.

Yes, she wants more, but...she’s counting her blessings.

Like this one.  

He’s outside, talking to a vendor, looking embarrassed about something the vendor is saying to him, but his gaze slides over, and he notices her approach with Tenten.  When it becomes apparent to him that they’re walking in his direction, he waves and yells _her_ name.  “Hi, Hinata!”  

She smiles and raises her voice to greet him in return.  After his two-week long mission, she feels like she hasn’t seen him in so long.  She would rather run up and hug him if no one was around, but she settles for standing before him.  She shyly meets his gaze.  “Welcome back from your mission.”

“Thanks.”  He looks at her for maybe a little too long, but she’s not going to complain.  Then he suddenly seems to notice Tenten. “Hiya, Tenten!”

“Hello, Naruto,” she greets politely.  “What are you _checking out_ today?”

The unexpected joke mortifies Hinata, but it completely flies over Naruto’s head.  

He blinks at Tenten and smiles.  “I was actually on my way to Ichiraku!  Do you guys want to join?”

“Oh, we just-”

“Hinata didn’t eat, yet!” Tenten interrupts.

She stares at Tenten, confused, because they literally just had lunch together.  She looks back at Naruto and finds him focused on her.  “Um, I’m sorry, Naruto-kun...I have to babysit Mirai-chan soon.”

He smiles.  “That’s alright.”  He looks at her in a way that feels almost searching.  “I’ll see you later then?”

Her heart rate picks up.  She nods, unable to speak.  

“Great.”  He looks away for a moment, but when he turns back to them he’s grinning.  “I’m starving.  I’ll see you guys later!”  He runs off.

Hinata turns to continue on with Tenten, but she’s looking at Hinata with a teasing smirk that could rival Ino’s.  

“Naruto is _in_ to you, Hinata.”

“Umm…I...I don’t know…”

“I think he likes you!”

She shakes her head.  She’s not sure if he does.  Does he really like her?  If he does, that would be unbelievably amazing.  But with the way they are physically intimate, how can she know if what he feels isn’t just lust or some other sort of emotional attachment?  

She knows that what they’re doing is helping him since they talked about it a little over a month ago.  But still, if she could do it over, she can’t help but wonder if she would have done things differently.  Not pushed him.  Not rushed things.  Salvaged their friendship when she had the chance.

 

When she woke up, all she saw was crystalline blue.  Gradual clarity exposed tan skin, and she could smell _him_ , all masculine warmth.  It gave her the shock of her life.   _Naruto-kun!_

But she was never one to give bombastic reactions.  Instead, it was all on the inside.  She was _this close_ to fainting when she realized their legs were tangled together and their arms were snugly against one another’s, but then he cleared his throat, startling her back to reality.

“Good morning.”  

She just couldn’t believe this.  To hear his voice, so subdued, low, and attractive first thing in the morning.  And _casual_.  Like they did this every day.  (Well, they did at the graveyard, but never this close, never wrapped up in each other).  And to top everything off, he still wasn’t moving!  Her heart was fit to jump out of her throat.

She made to respond, but all that came out were stutters, like she regressed six years of her life in those few seconds.  She recomposed herself, and replied, “Naruto-kun.”  She was not at all impressed with her choice of response.  “Good morning,” she tried again, a little better than just his name.  “What…” _is going on?_  “Why…” _were we sleeping like this?_

He fell off the couch, all flailing limbs and completely too ungraceful for even her own mind to have conjured on its own.  She really wasn’t dreaming.  He really had been four centimeters away from her face.

She sat up, alarmed for his safety when he didn’t immediately pop back up.  “Are you okay?”

He was staring, eyes wide, up at her, before looking away with a blush searing his cheeks.  “Yeah, just, yeah.  I feel great, actually.”

It was so cute, she could hardly stand it.  

“I slept really well,” he murmured.  

She bit her lips, well-aware of his shy smile.  “Me, too,” she admitted.

He then was a flurry of activity, showcasing how well he really had slept, by taking out every single box of cereal he had in his cabinets, shaking them, and vocally wondering how old they were, opening each box curiously, pulling out each bag to inspect them, and then hurrying to his fridge to see if he had milk.  

She sat at his table timidly, admiring his grin, how he was all sunshine and summer though it was the biting start of winter.  She checked the tabs for expiration dates and assured him that his cereal and milk were still good, to which he looked more relieved than she thought necessary.  

When he saw her giggling behind her hand, his face scrunched up, and he laughed at himself, though she had a feeling he didn’t know what was so funny to her.  He was just so dramatic and cute.

So.  Cute.

She thought about it every so often in the days following that morning, pulling back layer by layer their interactions, analyzing her memory for just a slight hint of any feeling he might hold for her.  He was watching her sleep, wasn’t he?  He was cuddling with her, wasn’t he?  That kind of thing doesn’t just happen by coincidence, right?  Maybe...maybe…

Before, she hadn’t at all seen his appearance at the cemetery as anything other than platonic, as anything other than his own need to face grief.

But it didn’t really seem that way anymore, at least on reflection.

He was holding her.  He took her hands in his and breathed on them, practically putting her fingers to his lips.  “Why are you out here?!” he scolded.  “Where are your mittens?”

“Th-they got wet from the s-snow,” she defended, unable to keep the shiver out of her voice.

He looked at how she had cleared the stone of snow.  He breathed on her fingers again, then placed them at his neck, beneath his hood.  “You’re freezing!” he accused, and it sounded almost angry.

If she hadn’t been so cold, she would have been blushing from the skinship, but instead she just felt more defensive.  “I c-couldn’t let N-Neji-niisan be out here like t-this…”  She wouldn’t admit this crazy talk to anyone other than Naruto, who had been by her side throughout the Fall season.

He shook his head, his expression pained.  “Hinata, you need to go home, or you’ll get sick or something.”  He started unstrapping his gloves.  “Here, wear these.”

“O-oh, no, Naruto-kun, I’m fine.”  She tried her best to control her shivering.  She shoved her hands into her coat pockets.

“C’mon, Hinata…” he whined.  He pulled her hand out of her pocket, grabbing at her fingers so that she couldn’t escape.  He forced her hand into his glove.

She pouted.

“Hina _taaaa_ , come _ooon_ …”

Reluctantly she took his other glove.  “Thank you,” she whispered. She huddled over Neji’s grave, intent on sitting in front of his stone.

She could sense him hovering close.  “Let’s go.”

She wasn’t ready to leave.  She wasn’t sure how long she had been outside, but it definitely wasn’t long enough.  “No,” she murmured quietly.

He huffed out an audible groan.  “You’re literally freezing, Hinata.”  

She shook her head and said as decisively as possible, “Naruto-kun, I’m fine.”

Suddenly, his hands came around her cheeks, pulling her face to meet his gaze.  His eyes were piercingly blue, and she stared back in surprise.  He looked at her for several long seconds, long enough for her heart to finally reset back to a normal pulse.  “N-Naruto-kun...?”

“You’re shivering.  Your skin is like ice.  Let’s go.”  His expression was one of true concern.

She couldn’t look at it otherwise it would convince her to leave.  She looked away.

“Hinata,” he whispered.

She kept her gaze away, focused on Neji’s grave.  

His head ducked down close to her shoulder, the proximity surprising her once again.  

She gasped, finding her feet lose their grounding.  “Na-!  Naruto-kun!”

He looked at her with a strange expression, as if he was the one surprised to have her in his arms, but she thought maybe she was misinterpreting it.

“You can let me down!” she protested.  As the eldest, she was never treated like a baby.

He was looking ahead, already walking out of the cemetery.  “Hmm.  No.”

 _No?!_  “Naruto-kun,” she gasped, thoroughly embarrassed.

He didn’t look at her, his face oddly appearing troubled as his steps picked up speed.  His arms were surprisingly sturdy, not that she doubted his strength, but more like she was worried about her weight.

“I must be heavy.  You can put me down now…”  She blushed as she said this, her lips tightening when she realized she was drawing attention to her body.  In his arms.  As if by some chance he hadn’t yet noticed.  She was embarrassed by her own self-consciousness.  

He looked down at her then for a second and shook his head before looking back up, his brows furrowed.  She watched him bite his lips and swallow, his throat moving.  “You’re not heavy, Hinata,” he reassured.  His arms tightened around her. He started running.

She didn’t know what to do with herself.  She watched the dark storefronts rush by.

He suddenly leaped onto a rooftop.

She sucked in a fast, cold breath of air, her hands instinctively clutching at his coat.  She glanced up in time to see him look away from her.

He exhaled a puff of warm air.  “Hang on,” he warned her, just as he jumped to another rooftop.

Unable to do anything else, she did.  She put firmer hands on his shoulders and didn’t let go.  Out of sheer embarrassment, she couldn’t look at him and instead studied the lining of his coat, finding the even stitches calming for her nerves.    

He placed her carefully down in front of the compound’s gates.  His hands lingered at her sides, his gaze entirely on her.

She slowly drew her hands off of him, wondering what he was thinking, wondering what all of that just now was all about.  But she was afraid to say anything, afraid to ask, and she realized that as much as she wanted to know what he thinks of her, she was just as scared, if not moreso.

“Go to sleep, ‘kay?”

She nodded.  

His hands drew away from her.  “If you go to the graveyard… I’ll know, so...stay at home now that it’s winter…‘kay?”

 _He’ll know?_  It dawned on her only then that he was watching out for her.  That the only reason he came out tonight was really just for her.  That maybe this whole time...  “...I’m sorry…”

He shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets.  “I’m glad my mission ended quick.  Otherwise I would’ve come back in the morning and found an ice cube instead of Hinata.”  His lips quirked up as he tried to make light of the situation.

She bit her lips as she undid the straps of his gloves.  “Thank you,” she murmured, handing the pair back to him.  She couldn’t hardly even look at him.  For some reason, for many reasons, she felt ashamed.  She had shown him her weak side over the course of many nights in front of Neji’s grave, but she never wanted him to feel like he had to take care of her.

“Hinata,” he voiced quietly.

She hesitantly met his gaze.

“Don’t worry about it.”

She worried about it.  In the following week, shut in by the cold, she came to realize how much she had unknowingly been relying on both the cemetery and Naruto.  When the familiar antsiness tugged at her legs, she worked stretches on the floor.  When her thoughts turned to Neji, how the light in his powerful eyes faded like the deepening dark of the night, she looked out her window, wishing she could run outside and let the gust blow her regrets away.  She wished Naruto was there, lying beside her.  His surprisingly quiet company had meant _way_ more to her than she realized, more than she had appreciated.  

Had he really been there _for her_?  He had held her hand on some nights as they watched the stars twinkle alive to their adjusting eyesight.  She hadn’t interpreted it as romantic, likening it to the time they faced Madara and Obito, except this time they were fighting a different kind of battle.

Had it meant something else?

She was afraid to assume, afraid to get her hopes up, just to be disappointed.

But by the weekend, in the early evening hours at the steps of Sakura’s new apartment, she had resigned herself.  She had already known it, but these sudden thoughts of the possibility that he might return her affections truly hammered it in.  She was hopelessly in love with him.  She had been in love with him all her childhood, and very likely for the rest of her life, this would continue to be the case, even if he never, ever looked her way.

Alcohol really gave her a sense of freedom in this.

She sipped the sweet strawberry chuuhai, finishing off her second can for the night, as she analyzed her cards.  She sat squished between Ino and Tenten on Sakura’s new loveseat.

“Hinata, the objective is to _get rid_ of your cards,” Sakura reiterated, not for the first time.

The bluenette just nodded.  Truth was, she has always sucked at cards.  Having never had the opportunity to play in her childhood, she just never picked up the decisive and manipulative mindset for it.  And maybe she just didn’t care enough, but she could not for the life of her memorize all the rules for the different games.  “...I have so many cards, I don’t know what to put down…”

“You don’t have anything higher than a 10?” Sakura questioned, ever patient with her.

Hinata looked at her cards as earnestly as she could, but the alcohol was making her feel silly about everything.  She couldn’t remember if an ace was higher or lower.

“Goodness, she needs help,” Ino groans, facepalming.

“Hinata.”

The voice was so serious and so close to her ear, she jumped.  “Naruto-kun!”

“You have _all_ the 2s.”  His eyes were wide, like he was saying something super meaningful.

“...I know, no one’s been putting down anything low enough for me to play them,” she replied sorrowfully.

“Hinata!” Tenten yelled, facepalming so hard, she accidentally slapped herself.

Naruto burst out laughing.

“The 2 is the highest card!”  Ino looked at her disbelievingly.  “We said so at the start!”

Hinata squinted at her, searching her memory, but nothing came up.  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“That’s just the rules,” Sakura explained.

“Why is the 2 the highest?” she asked.  “It doesn’t make any sense.”  Alcohol was really loosening up her inner thoughts.

“That’s just how the game goes!”  The pinkette frowned.

“Just play one of your 2s and you can start the next round,” Naruto instructed.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Hinata mumbled, but she did as she was told.

“Get rid of your 3s.”  Naruto basically played her hand for the remainder of the game, to the point that he was invited to the sofa so that he could sit next to her instead of stand awkwardly above her.

She felt so warm.  The alcohol from her third chuuhai, plus Naruto’s body heat was making her feel too cozy.  Everything felt inviting.  Everything felt nice.  Like Naruto’s shirt sleeve.

“What’re you doing?”  Naruto turned an amused expression at her as Sakura reshuffled the cards.

“Your shirt is soft.”  She fingered his sleeve with acute attention.  She glanced up to see him staring at her hand with a raised brow.  She was so close to his face, she could make out each little, golden hair.  “You have nice eyebrows,” she observed.

“Huh?” he loudly questioned, obviously caught off guard.  He rubbed his brows self-consciously.

She giggled.

His surprised expression was one she rarely ever saw.  It was hard to shock Konoha’s king of pranks, and she felt a sense of accomplishment in this.  Who knew he could so easily fluster?

Ino leaned in closer, taking a look.  “They do have a good, natural line,” she analyzed.

Hinata giggled again in agreement.  

“That’s not fair, what the hell, Naruto,” Sakura pouted, her green eyes obviously set on Naruto’s brows.  “I have to pluck, and it takes so much time!”

Tenten nodded.  “You boys are lucky you don’t have to worry about your appearance.”

Naruto’s jaw was dropped, looking among them in disbelief.  “They’re just eyebrows!  Who even cares!”

“Everyone cares!” Sakura said, as if to state a universally known fact.

“Wha-?  Nobody cares!”

“Maybe _you_ don’t care,” Sakura argued back.  “But everyone else does!”

Naruto seemed to contemplate this for a second.  “You guys are _weird_.  I couldn’t care less as long as they aren’t like Bushy Brows and Bushier Brows-sensei.”

Hinata giggled again at this.  She agreed that this topic was weird.  She didn’t really mean to turn the conversation in such a strange way.

“Actually, that reminds me,” Ino started.  “It must be because you call them that, but there’s a rumor going around that you only like girls with really thin brows.”

Naruto’s eyes widened, his forehead wrinkling with disturbed confusion.  “...What?”

Sakura and Tenten started laughing really hard.  

Hinata frowned.  She didn’t really like thinking about his fangirls.  She gulped down the rest of her chuuhai, the sweetness momentarily distracting her.

“Oh my _gods_ , can you imagine all of those poor girls plucking their brows to little lines?!”  Sakura continued laughing, remembering to cover her mouth to hold some decency.

Ino nodded.  “It’s a thing, you haven’t noticed?!  Think of all the girls that are lining up at his doorstep!  Think of their _eyebrows_.”

Hinata popped open a fourth can.

Naruto bent over, covering his head in his arms.  “ _No one_ is lining up…” he muffled into his knees.

Tenten’s eyes widened in realization.  “You’re so right!  Wow, those girls will do anything.  Must be nice to be so loved, right Naruto?”

“ _Huh_?!” Naruto asked, looking up, expression completely incredulous.  “How does plucking your brows to be really thin equate to anything about love?”

“To show you how much they want to get your attention!” Tenten explained.

“ _Huh_??!”  He only sounded progressively more confused.  “How the hell would that get my attention?!”

“I dunno, to show you that they’re trying to look how you like?” the brunette suggested.

“I don’t-!  What?!  I don’t even care, though!”

Kiba came over to the commotion, completely drunk.  He chimed in, “Yeah, don’t they know that guys care more about the body than the face?”

“KIBA!!” the other three girls shrieked at him.

Naruto sat there gaping at him, guilty-faced, which didn’t go unnoticed by Sakura, either.

“You guys are absolutely disgusting!!” the pinkette accused.  “Ugh!”

“Whaaat,” Naruto whined.  “That was all Kiba!”

Hinata didn’t really want to listen, but she also didn’t want to get up and remove herself from Naruto’s side.  She sipped her drink continuously, noting everyone’s reasoning.  They all had good points.  The fangirls try.  They were at least doing something to try to get his attention.  What was she doing?  She asked herself this question and came up with nothing.  Since the war, she hadn’t really done anything.  She was too overwhelmed with reconstruction and her cousin’s death to think about vying for Naruto’s affections against his horde of fangirls.  

Or maybe that was just an excuse.  She was closer to him than ever, but he so far hadn’t said anything flirtatious to her.  He just acted like a really, really good friend.

Even right now.  Sitting right next to him.  He seemed to be completely unbothered by her proximity.

It was nice to be beside him.  It was awful to think that this could be as far as she could go with him.

She sipped her drink.

What would Neji think of her, drinking away her troubles over a boy?  

Certainly, he would be disappointed in her.

He’d probably tell her that she should stand proud.  

_“Commit yourself!”_

Neji used to say that when she stumbled on a move or was right about to finish a sequence to give her a boost of morale.

No one was as committed as Neji (not counting Naruto).  She admired that unerring spirit in both of them.  Their confidence in themselves to follow through and finish strong.  To _commit_.  

She gazed up at the boy next to her.  

His expressions changed from moment to moment, as varying as the changing tide.  

 _A beautiful boy_ , she mused, noting to herself in a moment of clarity that there was definitely a not-innocent-at-all physical attraction on her side, besides her admiration for him.  Naruto was extremely good-looking.  She wondered if he even knew how much he had matured over the years.

Her gaze wandered down.   _He has nice arm...muscles_.  She couldn’t blush any more than she already was from her alcoholic glow, and she couldn’t find it in herself to care.  She analyzed the tanned brown of his skin, how, though relaxed, she could see the definition of his deltoids, biceps, and triceps.  His skin looked really warm.  Like the sun just eternally seeped from his being.

Before she could even really think about it, her face was planted against his shoulder.  She noted how his sleeve was definitely soft.  And that he definitely radiated soul-soothing warmth.  There was no way she was going to leave his arm.

She once committed herself to stand next to him, not behind him.

If this was all that she could do, if this was as far as she could ever get with him, then so be it.  

She would commit herself to his wonderful arm at his side for as long as she could.  For as long as he would let her.

That mentality about his arm didn’t last past the boots.

Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

She had to see Neji.  She had to remind herself what real commitment looked like.

Commitment to family.  Commitment to comrades.  Commitment to the future.  Commitment of a Hyuuga.

Her brain was simultaneously lighting off, then floating through fog.  

He was insisting on coming with her.

Certainly that meant something.  Even if it was nothing to him, it was something between them.

_“Don’t they know that guys care more about the body than the face?”_

Maybe it was her body.  She was anything but blind to her own development.

What would he think of that?

“Naruto-kun.  Don’t you want to see me?”

 

Thinking back, she’s not sure she could’ve reversed course after everything that took place that night.

It was unforgettable.

She woke up.  In someone else’s...Naruto’s bed.  Butt naked.

She laid there for a second, searching her memory for understanding.

The first thing she recalled was his voice...his groan and hot breath against her ear and neck.  The images piled on in flashes of clarity after that.

What had she done.

She bolted upright, the blanket falling off and revealing her body to the cold air.  

Her clothes were folded, sitting on a chair.

She could hear faint steps from outside.

She grabbed her clothes and practically leapt into the bathroom before Naruto could take notice of her.

She locked the door, breath heavy, adrenaline pumping through her.  What was she going to do?  How could she possibly face him again?  How on earth did any of that actually happen!

But it all happened.

Her eyes widened as she stared at herself, clutching her clothes, naked, in the mirror.  

She wasn’t the same.  She wasn’t at all the same.  She had given her virginity to the love of her life under the influence of alcohol.  It had all been real.

“Uh…”  Naruto’s voice came through, muffled and unsure.  

Her gaze automatically shifted to the door.

“Hinata, I...um...I made breakfast for you, it’s not much or anything, it’s just toast and eggs, y’know, but uh...have some ‘cause you should try to get some food in you after last night...uh...”  He paused awkwardly.

She bit her lip, realizing what he was thinking about.  

“I mean, yeah, um, I-” he started again quickly.  “...Hinata...um...I need to talk to you when you come out so...uh...yeah.  Yeah.  There’s toast out here and eggs if you want.”

He made breakfast for her.  He wanted to talk to her.  “Okay,” she breathed out, hoping he could hear her.  “Thank you.”

She could feel herself calming down, seeing that she had a next step.  And of course, it was thanks to Naruto’s initiative.  What had she been planning on doing before he spoke?  Somehow running out of his apartment without him noticing?  Of course the best thing to do would be to talk it out.

She slowly got dressed, noting that she was a little sore _down there_.  She gulped.  He had been down there…

Not just down there.  He had been everywhere.

And…

Her cheeks burned up.

She thought she might have liked it.  A lot.  Slowly but surely she was remembering everything that happened.  Her own role in encouraging him.  It hadn’t really been the alcohol.  It had been _her_.  Without filter, without inhibitions, without proper judgment, but still...she had unashamedly spoken and acted suggestively with him, undressed for him, and then told him she wanted him.

She was remembering her logic, too.  It hadn’t at all been logical, in any way, shape, or form, but she had simply wanted his attention.  Not as friends.  She hadn’t wanted to be friends with him last night.  She had wanted his passion, his fire, his body, and...his confusion.  She wanted him to be confused about her.

No, she didn’t simply want his attention.

She wanted him to look twice.  

She wanted him to think about them.

She wanted him to wonder, like she was, what he was doing with her.  

She was a terrible person.

Why did she do that to him?  She realized that he must feel awful!  She realized that, like he always did, he was probably tripping himself up in guilt and making things his responsibility.  And this was all her fault.

She steeled herself for their conversation.  She checked herself in the mirror again to make sure everything was in place.

A dark spot.

She craned her neck, staring at it, her brows furrowing at the sight.  What was that?  A bruise?  Did she hit herself on her neck?  That didn’t ring a bell…  

Was that the so-called hickey?

She stared at it, remembering Naruto’s warm breath and lips on her neck.  

 _Wow_.  She flushed.  She continued staring at it in wonder, not exactly knowing how to feel about it, trying to ignore the butterflies she felt in her gut.  

She turned away from her reflection and faced the door.  She didn’t know what she could do to rectify this situation other than apologize and hope he wouldn’t push her away.  

She tightened her lips in worry.  She really hoped he wouldn’t push her away.  Some space was understandable for any friendship, and maybe that’s what got blurred in the past many weeks.  She just hoped he wouldn’t be disgusted with her.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

 

She knows she told him afterward that she wanted them to still be friends like before.  Nowhere in her heart did she ever truthfully feel that.  She told herself she wanted his friendship, safe and sound, but then she would remember the feeling of him moving _down there_.  

It tormented her.  She couldn’t forget it.  It was such a terribly shameful thing to think about.  That and the way he kissed her with his tongue.  That and the way he treated her body.  That and the way he said her name.

...That and the way he told her the next morning that she felt really good and he couldn’t stop himself.  That he hadn’t been drunk at all.

The more she remembered it, the more she _wondered_.  She had realized it while he was apologizing that morning, too.  If he had really wanted to stop, he really could have.  He could’ve stopped at any point when he saw that things were going too far.  

He said that he hadn’t been sleeping well, which affected his judgment.  He also told her that he missed her.

If he just wanted plain sex, he could have had that, too.  

But when she remembered that night, she knew it wasn’t just sex.

She has, from a young age, seen all kinds of human intimacy.  The first time she saw intercourse, she told Ko that the man was hurting the lady in that apartment.  Ko activated his Byakugan, quickly deactivated it, and told her to stop looking, too.  When she hesitantly asked him if they weren’t going to do anything, he looked uneasy, and explained as best he could that they were expressing their love for each other, and that it was something that she shouldn’t watch.

She didn’t understand how it was love, but she did understand rules and propriety.  She quickly figured out that those things usually only happened indoors, so she figured out when it was best for her to use her Byakugan.  

Only when necessary.

Only on missions and during training.

And still, she sometimes accidentally saw sex depending on where her mission was.

She knew the sex she had with Naruto wasn’t just “fucking.”  It wasn’t only drunk sex and it was far from rape.

He had been so gentle with her.  Even though he thought that she wasn’t a virgin, he had continuously kissed her and, well, treated her lovingly.

Maybe that was just his nature.

Maybe he was just hardwired to be kind.

Maybe he already had experience (not that it really mattered, she told herself).

She wondered and worried and blushed her way through the week.  A part of her felt like she needed to talk to him again about it.  That there was still something that needed to be worked through, though she didn’t know what.  But he wasn’t around the village.

He up and left on a mission, leaving her to her perverse thoughts, and it was lonely.  

She visited Neji’s grave on the nights that weren’t so cold, and wondered if he was disappointed in her.  She would never have told him anyway what happened, but now that he was gone, did he see everything she did?  

She sadly smiled, realizing that he would be so appalled, he probably wouldn’t have been able to say anything.  

Then he’d probably go and try to beat Naruto up.

It was a morbid thought to think that it was lucky that Naruto wouldn’t get all his tenketsu blocked by an angry Neji.

She cried that night in front of his grave.  Out of everyone in her family, she had been closer to him than anyone else.  He was more like her older brother, or a better father than her own father.  He was hard on her, but protective of her.  He expected a lot from her, but helped her reach his expectations.  She was slowly growing closer to Hanabi again, restoring the sisterly relationship she always wanted, but Hanabi was turning out to be _nothing_ like Neji, not that she would ever want her to be.  But she missed Neji.  And it hurt her to know that he had died to save her and Naruto.

The night she finally saw Naruto again, she was nervous.  She was scared to see him, but she hoped that they could be friends again.

He didn’t even look at her, though they were right across from each other.

It made her feel...upset.

She tried to talk to him, but he didn’t even try to meet her halfway.

She almost felt neglected.  Not that they were together or anything, but didn’t she deserve something from him?  Some kind of recognition?

She had worried herself into a mess all week, and now he couldn’t even look at her?  Hadn’t he told her himself that he wanted to still be friends?  So why wasn’t he trying?  He was talking to everyone, looking at everyone else...except her.

“If anyone, I vote Hinata.”  His eyes darted to her, a wicked expression on his face.

The accusation was so out of the blue, Hinata didn’t know how to respond.  What was he thinking?  Was he thinking about how she acted that night?

“Bahaa!”  Kiba bursted out laughing.  “What the hell?!”

Naruto continued, as if assessing her.  “It’s those Byakugan eyes.  No one knows what they can really see when she activates them.”

“Ohhhhhh.”  Ino and Sakura turned to look at her with great interest as the rest of the table broke into laughter.

“Whaaaa??” she verbalized before her brain could catch up with her mouth.  “That...nooo.”  It’s true that she can see things if she wants to, but she wasn’t about to admit that.  So she shook her head as vehemently as she could.  “That’s not what they’re for!”

“She doesn’t deny that she can see things,” Naruto calmly said.  Too calmly.

“Hinata, what can you see??  You can tell us, we won’t spill your secrets!” Ino urged her.

She knew that Ino was just joking, but what on earth was Naruto doing?!  She covered her face, trying to hide her shameful blush from giving her away.  She took a deep breath, but it didn’t do much to assuage her growing vexation with her blonde crush.  But at least now she figured out how to get out of this situation.  She looked up and smiled at her target.  “Shikamaru-kun is the only one with a girlfriend.”

It had the desired effect as everyone turned away from her, but her gut felt twisted with confusion and worry.  She met his gaze.

 _Now_ he was looking at her.

Why was he being mean to her?   _Why_ did he put on the spot like that?  Was he mad at her?  Why did he single her out like that?  The first words he said to her all night, and it was that she was a pervert!  Wasn’t that just too much, even for him?!   _No one_ was ever intentionally mean to her, she realized, and she wasn’t used to it at all.  All of those feelings flooded through her mind in only a couple of seconds, and she frowned.  

Without much thought, more out of reflex, she kicked him.

“Ow!”

It was so unlike her to hit someone, it shocked even her, but by the time he looked back up at her, she was able to mask her own surprise.

“Hinata!”

“Yes, Naruto-kun?”

“You kicked me!”  

She shook her head slightly, maintaining eye contact so well, that even she was convinced that that hadn’t been her.  She rarely ever got upset with anyone, so who was that that kicked him?  “...No, I didn’t.”

He squinted at her and frowned comically.  “...Oh really.”

She nodded, her heart rate speeding up at his continued attention.

His gaze shifted away, disinterested, and she wondered if that was the end of that.

Until pain blossomed through her shin.  “Ah!”

“What?”  He looked at her like she was crazy for yelping out like that.

And she could _not_ _believe_ that he would kick her back.  “Naruto-kun!”

“What is it?”  He continued to blink at her.

She stared at him, trying to figure out why he was being so mean to her.  He had never been mean to her.  Ever.  And now, a week after they were physically intimate, he was treating her like they were never friends to begin with.  It confused her.  It kind of hurt her.  So against her better judgment, she kicked him again.

“Hey!” he shouted.  Then he kicked her back.  

She couldn’t believe it.  She just couldn’t understand it.  So she struck her foot out again, unable to accept defeat now that it seemed like they were fighting.  

He continued to fight back, a smugness appearing on his face that was equal parts charming and irritating.

What was _going on._  She frowned, but realized that the weight over her heart she didn’t even know she had...was dissipating.  Like she was venting all of her stress from the past week (and the past hour) into this reckless game under the table.

“What’s wrong with you guys?” Sakura asked.

A sharp one hit her ankle.  “Stop it already, Naruto-kun!” she pleaded, but she realized that at this point, she probably deserved it, too.

“You stop it.  You started it!”

There was just no way she was stopping first.  “You’re the one who started it,” she argued, as she focused on trying to step on his foot in a change of tactics.

But his footwork was too fast.  “You’re the one!  Who knew you were so violent!”

“Nooo!” she denied.  She was a passive person at heart, but maybe her father’s way of disciplining her as a child had rooted more deeply in her than she realized.  “Well...you weren’t supposed to kick back!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  He squinted at her like the concept was foreign to him, but she knew that he knew better.  He was choosing to bully her, and that still confused her.

“Naruto, are you being mean to Hinata?!”  Sakura wrapped her arms around her.

“No, she started it!”

Ino joined in on the argument.  “You can’t be mean to Hinata, even if she started it!”

“Yeah, Naruto, you can’t be mean to Hinata!”  Even Kiba, Shino, and Choji were backing her up.

It made her feel sort of self-righteous.

“What?” Naruto asked.

“A man is not supposed to harm a lady.”  Even Sai was willing to support her!  And they hardly even knew each other!

Naruto pouted a bit, but then he continued, “Hinata’s a strong shinobi!  She can handle it!”

“It’s Hinata, though, Naruto!  You can’t be mean to Hinata!” Ino reiterated.

He turned to her once more, squinted, and repeated, “She started it.”

Before Hinata could reply back, Sakura defended her.  “Whatever she started, you probably deserved it.”

Inwardly Hinata was nodding.  After not seeing each other all week, he completely ignored her for an hour, suddenly put her on the spot for being the biggest pervert at the table, and then proceeded to kick her.  As much as she loves him, she honestly did feel like he deserved it.

“Psshh whatever.  We were just playing.”  His gaze flicked back to her.  He stuck his tongue out.

It was an immature gesture, and she couldn’t help letting out a small laugh at his saltiness.  

“Gods, Naruto, you’re such a child,” Sakura lamented.

Hinata bit her lips, calming herself down.  She was at least thankful that he wasn’t ignoring her anymore.  

This was infinitely better than thinking that he was shutting her out.  And if this was going to be their new dynamic, then she’d take what she could get.  She’d rather be bullied by him than forgotten.

Yet as they gathered outside, it seemed like he was back to being nice to her.  He asked her how she was doing, to which she didn’t really have a good answer.  And when he asked her if she wanted to talk more, it struck her that maybe he had been just as bothered by their one night stand as she had been.  

 

She knows that somewhere in there, somewhere during that night at his apartment, she could have left things alone.  She could have not offered herself to him again.  She could have gone home, instead.  She could have been satisfied with just talking and joking with him.

But she wasn’t.  She never would be.

And as far as she can tell, Naruto couldn’t be, either.

Those winter nights changed both of them.  

It’s mindless.

It’s exciting.

It’s an escape.    

The feeling of his breath against her lips, his tongue seeking hers, is enough to melt her sanity.  She feels small between the wall and his body.

He only just closed the door.  She only just took off her shoes.  They only just took two steps into the hallway.

It makes her believe that he missed her while he was away in Suna.  She definitely missed him.

She tilts her head to meet his kisses, her hands slowly drawing over his arms to the back of his neck.  She can feel his hands pressing into her sides, gripping at her back, pulling her closer against his chest.  

It makes her feel vulnerable and wanted.

“Naruto-kun,” she whimpers, as his lips trace along her neck.

He pants against her skin, nipping at her and sucking, sending shivers of pleasure over her.  He catches her lips again, their tongues swirling together urgently.

She spreads her fingers into his shorn hairline, but it’s not enough.  

He’s all around her, holding her, kissing her, but she can’t help wanting more from him.  

She arches into his body, aware that he’ll be able to feel her breasts through her sweater.  

She can sense his approval in his tightening embrace, in his traveling hands.  One ventures low down her back, smoothing over her skirt to cup one of her lower cheeks.  He squeezes.

She moans into his lips, still surprised that her butt is a sensitive area.  

He pulls back from the kiss, revealing troubled, darkened blue eyes that gaze into her own.  “Shit,” he mumbles absentmindedly, squeezing her butt again.

She wiggles in reaction against him, but she knows, too, that she’s encouraging him.  

“Ugh...gods,” he whispers before pushing his tongue into her mouth again.

At the back of her mind, she knows this situation is her fault.  Why they’re not moving forward, why they’re not discussing their relationship.  She’d rather feel him, feel his emotions, drive him crazy, than analyze why he’s doing this with her.  She doesn’t want to ask.

He maneuvers her sweater up, his fingers reaching the bare skin of her back.

She arches again at the sensitivity, pushing herself against him.  “Mm..” she complains, but every touch sends heat to her core.  She dares to meet the gaze of his heavy-lidded eyes, hoping that the look alone can convey how much she cares for him, how much she’s missed him.

He’s incredibly handsome.  His strong jawline.  She presses kisses there.  The tanned, scarred skin of his cheeks.  She tastes the rough texture.  His perfect set of brows.  She smoothes her thumb over one, earning a surprised exhale from the boy.  The cerulean of his eyes.  Murky with desire.

“Naruto-kun,” she breathes again, lacing each syllable with her admiration and love.

His expression turns pained for a second before his eyes close, his lips meeting hers hungrily once more.  He flips her sweater up her chest, pulling off the garment in a strong tug, and he stands back a bit to look at her.

So she “forgot” her bra again.  But she had a feeling it would be like this.  She was just preparing ahead of time.  Her core contracts in excitement at being naughty, at being found out, and at being subjected to his stare.

“Fuck, Hinata, what’re you trying to do?” Naruto scolds her, a hand already molding her rounded skin.  He kisses her, his pelvis rocking against her hip.  His other hand descends beneath her panty, gliding over her butt.

She squeaks, the sudden exploration of his fingers more than she was ready for.  She tries to move her hips to slow his quest, but he finds her womanhood anyway.  That’s probably revealing how horny she is.  “Oh no,” she breathes against his chest.

He spreads her folds, dipping the tips of his fingers in, then rubbing her arousal over her skin.  “So fucking wet,” he murmurs.  “Fuck,” he repeats quietly, and she can feel him practically shaking.  He removes himself from her body, surprising her again in the rapid change from warm to cool.  Restless gasps leave his mouth as he fluidly pulls his shirt off and starts undoing his shorts. 

She follows suit, shimmying her skirt off first.  

He watches her pull her panties off, and she bites her lips, finding the bottom sticking to her a little in a telltale puddle of arousal.  

She only drops the garment to her feet when he’s kissing her again, pressing his warm hardness between them.  

If not his heart, she knows that at least, right now, she has his attention.  She has his body and his mind entirely for herself.  She kisses him with returned ardor, her hand reaching down to caress his length.  She starts stroking him, enjoying the smooth, warm skin over stiff strength.

His kisses turn frantic.  He starts babbling against her lips, “Ugh..fuck, Hinata..I need- ugh..”  He shakes in her slow, light pulls.

She smiles slightly at his confusion.

He spots her smile, his eyes squinting.  He shakes his head slightly, disapproving of her teasing even as tremors run through him from her rubbing.  He grabs her arm to still her and turns her around to face the wall.  “You laughing at me?” he asks curiously.

She immediately bends over, anticipation running through her.  She shakes her head and tries to turn to look at him.  “No,” she answers honestly with a little smile.  She wasn't laughing.

She can see him, his hand on his length, aiming it toward her opening.  His focus only shifting from her wetness to glance at her face as he starts rubbing the tip into her fluids.

She faces the wall again, hiding her blush as she feels him lightly press his hot skin at her entrance.  She arches her back and pushes her butt out toward him, trying to entice him to enter her.

“Don’t laugh at me,” he says, and she can imagine his adorable pout.

“I wasn’t laughing,” she promises, stretching herself out to meet him, to feel more of him.

He’s quiet, continuing to tease his length along her from her clit to her entrance.

She thought they’d be passionately doing each other by now, having not seen each other for two weeks.  Instead, he’s taking his time.  She peeks around to look at him.

He looks thoughtful, his eyes dark with apparent lust as he drags his tip against her.  Not looking up, but apparently aware of her gaze, he asks her quietly, “Did you miss me?”

She tilts her head in confusion.  Did leaving her bra off and kissing him and everything else not convey that message?  She shakes her butt slightly against him, feeling his tip move with her.  “Naruto-kuun,” she moans softly, apologetically.

He’s quiet, and it worries her.  

Once in awhile, he gets like this, too.  Almost brooding, a little demanding.  A little scary, but only because she just doesn’t really know what he’s thinking.  She doesn’t always know what triggers his switch in moods because it has even happened in the middle of them doing it.  Teasing him usually turns him on.  Smiling while they’re playing with each other usually makes him smile, too.  Sometimes it makes her more excited, and she just goes along with his mood.  Sometimes, like now, it makes her worried.

People say he doesn’t think.

Hinata knows better.  He’s not spontaneous, not stupid, nor slow.  He’s clever.  He’s creative.  He’s perceptive.  There’s a reason behind everything he does, and it’s partially that unpredictable _mind_ of his that attracts her to him, hopelessly and devotedly.  He’s everything.

She stands up and turns around, hugging him tightly.  Their bare skin against each other is intimate, and she’s relieved to feel that he’s not tense.  “I did,” she whispers.  “Naruto-kun, I missed you so much.”  She flushes at saying her feelings out loud, but she pushes through.  It’s not the first time she’s told him so.  “Don’t you know that already?” she asks.

His expression looks considerably lightened, and he presses a soft kiss to her lips.  “I was just wondering,” he says simply.

 _Did you miss me?_  She would never ask.  And the opportunity to ask passes as they kiss deeply, slowly.  Her womanhood begins aching once more, and she tiptoes to bring his length between her legs.  She rubs herself against him, spreading her arousal over his lewd masculinity.  Just the feeling of him there excites her more.  It’s been so long since she last felt his passion, and the knowledge that they’re finally together again leaves her wanting him more than usual.

He groans.  “You’re so wet, Hina.”  He bends lower, hooking her leg onto his arm.  He grabs his length, finding her entrance again.  “I can’t wait any longer,” he admits, pushing himself into her.

“Ah,” she gasps.  She clings to his shoulders, feeling him slowly spread her apart.  She’s tippy-toeing as he slides excruciatingly slowly up in her.

He’s letting out harsh breaths, his grip around her tightening.  He shoves her against the wall, pulling her against him. “Hina…” he groans.

She puts her weight onto his shoulders and holds onto him for balance.  She blushes, feeling his grip on her butt, keeping her in place for his steady invasion.  She moans as her resistance gives way, nestling him deep within her.  She rests her head on his shoulder, breathing hard, unconsciously clutching at his member.

He tilts his head against hers and pulls out slightly.  “Mmm…” he moans. He pushes up slowly back into her. “Ugh...Hinata…”  She feels him press her back forcefully against the wall, his thrusts growing harder, his sex dragging within her folds rougher.  “So fucking tight,” he breathes.  He turns his head and presses kisses on her cheek.

She lifts her head to meet his lips, and they kiss sloppily.  She can’t focus on it.  She can feel his strong arms embracing her, his thick member moving deeply in her, their bodies pressed together erotically.  

He licks her down her neck, but he doesn’t stop there.  

She pulls up as best she can, her head knocking against the wall as he embraces her close, his tongue tracing down to her breasts.

He slows down, taking time to bury his face in her cleavage and suck on her skin.  She can feel his tongue laving her, rolling over her nipples.

They grow taut and more sensitive with each tug and suck of his lips.  He’s not nearly as gentle as usual, and it has her feeling defenseless against him.  Desire has her clenching around his length, urging him to return to filling her. She whimpers.

He shoves into her again hard.  He pulls up, setting a punishing pace that knocks the air from her with each thrust.  His breath is heavy against her ear, and she can hear him mumbling her name among other syllables of half-formed curses, strung together unintelligibly.  

With his muscular arms holding her up, his solid frame keeping her pinned, and his length pushing against her womb with each powerful thrust, she thinks she can feel all of him.  All of his strength and passion directed at her, all of his effort and energy working into her.  She moans as her thoughts zero in on his hot member taking her over and over, reaching up into her, touching her secret spots in a forbidden act, made only more perverse with their position and location.

“Hinata...Hinata…” he moans, holding her close, sounding almost pleading.

“Naruto-kun,” she answers desperately.  She can feel him getting longer and harder in her, stretching her and driving into her deeper.  “You’re so big,” she murmurs.

“Ugh…”  He changes his pace, shoving into her with sharp thrusts.

“Ohh,” she moans.  He’s hitting her in places that send magic through her veins, lighting her up from her toes to the crown of her head.  “You’re getting bigger…”

He stills, deep in her, and she can feel him shaking almost imperceptibly with the effort.

“Naruto-kuuun,” she whines.  She thought he was getting close, so why would he slow down?

He levels his lust-glazed eyes with her own that surely reflect the same.  “You missed me?” he breathes, against her lips.

She nods.  “I missed you,” she reassures him, but it doesn’t have the same honest tone as before, instead airy with wantonness meant to seduce him.

He starts thrusting again, his eyes closing.  “You missed this?” he asks, his voice hoarse as he picks up in speed and force, his member sliding into her.

The vulgar question has her clinging onto him harder, her body giving him the answer she doesn’t want to say.  But she knows that he wants to hear her say it.  “Yes…” she breathes quietly, her eyes tightly shut as she focuses on the pleasure dancing across her skin.

He lets out a heavy breath.  “...Hinata...ugh..you feel so good so sexy..”  He pumps into her rapidly, and she can feel him expanding in her, pushing into her in wonderful places.

“Oh, Naruto-kun,” she whimpers.  

“I’m gonna cum.”  He rocks into her hard and fast, and she clenches around him, intent on receiving everything he has to give her.  His thrusts turn erratic quickly, his arms squeezing her leg straight against her torso.

She quivers around his member as he hits that spot that sends heaven cascading through her limbs.  He pushes her higher, casting her across the sky, burning her too bright to last any longer.  His throbbing heat pushes her onward and over, tumbling off the horizon of bliss.  

She doesn’t hear her own cry of completion as Naruto follows after her, his yell hot against her hair.  

She rides out his orgasm, her core filling with his warm essence.  He pushes into her a little bit longer, and she can feel how soaked she is, how full she is with their combined desire.

He lets her leg down, and she stumbles into him, her legs weak and numb.  “Woah, you okay?” he huffs out.

“S-sorry,” she stammers, completely unable to control any part of herself, but she doesn’t move away.  She wants to hang onto him, wants to feel the connection as real as what they just had.

He presses his mouth to her hair, holding her, and she melts against him.  He picks her up and takes her to bed with him.

They cuddle, and Hinata is happy to snuggle against his chest, to press kisses at his shoulder.  She feels so lucky to have him, to express her affection so openly, to reveal herself to him, and for him to reciprocate.  

Even if it’s not love.

It’s something.  She thinks it must be something close, otherwise why would he do this with her?

She rubs her hand across his side, and he exhales contentedly.

She doesn’t have to know.  Not right now.  She’ll patiently wait for him to tell her whenever he’s ready.  In the meantime, she’ll shower him with her love.  She’ll show him how much she cares.  How much she adores him.  She snuggles into his embrace.

He dips down and kisses her forehead, his hand caressing lazy patterns at her back.  “You feel so nice,” he murmurs.  His hand draws lower, slipping over the rise of her hip and across her butt.  He touches her barely with just his fingertips.

She shivers and wiggles.  “What are you doing?” she scolds with a distracted laugh.  

“Feeling you,” he says, absentmindedly.

She grabs his hand and pulls it back up.  “You don’t have to feel me down there.”

He scowls comically at her.  His hand instead ventures up, dipping into her neck.  

She tilts her head, trying to stop the intrusive hand.  “Noo, not over there either.”  She rolls back a little, trying to keep him from tickling the back of her neck.

He takes the opportunity to squeeze her breast.

“Wha-what are you doing?!” she gasps, rolling forward.  

His hand easily slips back down to squeeze her butt.  “Feeling you,” he repeats with a lazy smirk.

She rolls back, but he just gropes her breasts again, this time brushing her nipple.  It was hard already, to her surprise, and the sensitivity makes her shiver.  She rolls onto her stomach and looks at him accusingly.  “You’re not just feeling me.”

“Huh?” he asks, like he’s sleepy.  “I’m not doing anything.  You’re the one rolling around everywhere.”

She pouts at him.  Until she feels his fingers at her moist entrance.  Her eyes widen in shock.  “Naruto-kun!”

He has a sly grin as he plays with the fluid on his fingers.  He slides it across her butt.  “You’re so wet,” he comments, as if that was all just from his touches.

She tries her best to glare at him, but she can hardly do that with him touching at her sensitive parts.  “You know that that’s your fault…”

“Hehe…” he laughs cutely.

She gives him a defeated smile and snuggles close again.  She drags his hand up to her side.  “Keep it here.”

“Aww, but it liked it down there,” he argues.

She ponders his words in confusion.  “We just did it.”

“...We can do it again…”

She frowns, blushing at the suggestion.  “...Naruto-kun…”

He chuckles.  “You’re so fun to play with.”

She blushes harder in the dark of the room and presses her burning cheek into his shoulder.  “Don’t say things like that.”

But he doesn’t stop.  “I know all of the parts that make Hinata squirm,” he states proudly.

“Naruto-kun!” she whines, but secretly, it makes her happy.  How can she not be?  He knows her intimately and enjoys making her feel good.  It’s unbelievable.  It makes her feel closer to him than anyone else.  “...I know Naruto-kun’s, too.”

“Oh yeah?” he asks suggestively.

“Mhm.”

He turns his head to look at her, and horror crosses his face too late.

She already has her hand planted at his armpit, easily accessible since his arm is stuck under her head.  

“Ack, Hinata!, ah!, no!, nooooo!!!” he laugh-cries, struggling against the weight of her head.  He eventually pulls his arm out, keeping his arms crossed and close, protectively.  He’s huffing from the exertion.  “You...evil girl…”

She smiles innocently at him.  He’s the hero of Konoha, the hero of the shinobi world, and only she can exploit his weakness. _I love you_.  She wishes she could say it.  She wishes she could fully communicate to him how special he is to her.  

She knows he’s not ready to hear it.  

But she hopes he will be soon.

“See?” she smiles.  “I know all of Naruto-kun’s sensitive spots, too.”

His accusing expression turns soft.  He scooches close again, encouraging her to return to his embrace.

She relaxes into him.

He grabs her hand and places it solidly at the center of his chest.  “Keep it here,” he instructs, echoing her words from earlier.

She giggles, perfectly happy to feel his warm, bare skin.  

After a peaceful moment, he asks, “What’s your schedule this week?”

“I have a mission in three days.  It’s just surveillance and security for the Hokage’s meetings.”

He nods.

She realizes why he’s asking.  “I can come to see you in the meantime.”

He squeezes her a little, and she knows that he’s wordlessly expressing appreciation.

In some ways, he’s not what she expected.  For all of her observations of him, she never realized how quiet he actually was.  He hardly talks about himself.  He hardly talks about how he’s feeling. It’s up to her to ask.

“How was your mission in Suna?”

“Oh!  It was great.  Gaara works really fast.  Their foster care system is almost ready, too.”

“That’s wonderful,” she affirms.

He nods, and she can tell his energy is returning to him.  It’s been his favorite topic for the past many months.

“They just needed a couple of other donors, and we got them secured on this last visit,” he adds.

She knows that he’s breezing over the details of what he personally did to help.  “You worked hard,” she murmurs.

“Can you imagine?  In, like, only five weeks or so, all of these kids will have a family.”  He ignores her words.  He never seems to take recognition or compliments well.

She turns her face up to him to see his expression.

Even in the dark, she can tell that he’s glowing with hope.  

“You’ve worked really hard,” she repeats.  

His attention shifts to her, and he’s silent for awhile.  Then he winks. “I like working hard.”

She frowns to keep a rising blush at bay.

He comes close and kisses her sweetly.  His hand sweeps over her back, squeezing parts of her randomly as he deepens the kiss.  

She can feel his excitement at her leg.  She starts to scold him, “Naruto-ku-”

He silences her with another breathtaking kiss.  

She can feel her mind slipping into another world, separate for just the two of them.

He pulls up, his breath heavier.  “You can’t expect me to leave you alone, Hinata.”  

She doesn’t respond, still trying to catch her breath, but she wonders vaguely if he means for just right now or if he means that for forever.  She doesn’t have the time, though, to consider his words much longer as he rolls on top of her.

His tongue invades her mouth, indicating that he’s serious this time around.

She surrenders, opening her legs for him to center himself between.

He pushes into her slowly.  He draws out and pushes himself in a little at a time, going only a little deeper each time as he stiffens for her.

“Ah, ah...ah…” she vocalizes, feeling him fill her again with his familiar warmth.  

He presses himself gently to her, his breath hitching as he sinks into her.

“Mmm…”  Her eyes are shut tight as she focuses on his member spreading her apart.  “Naruto-kuun…”

He lets out several heavy exhalations.  “...It’s been so long…”

 _??_  “...We just did it…” she quietly reminds him.  

He leans against her, almost snuggling her, his nose pressed at her neck.  He breathes something like a laugh.  “...Oh yeah…” he replies.  “...Still too long…”  He withdraws from her hold, and sinks into her deeply.  He lets out a groan.

Every slow retreat feels like he’s pulling a piece of her with him.  Every push echoes through her, sending waves of comfort and pleasure flowing about her.  Every part of her connected to his arousal, every piece of her, inside and out, willing to let him touch, hold, and mold for his liking.

He languidly presses against her, his motions slow but deep.  He shivers and kisses her again, messily.

She feels him trail kisses down her neck.  Her skin burns where his lips touch, then cools as he leaves it, chilling her, her core clenching at his member.  “Naruto-kun…” she whimpers.

“Hinata,” he responds, his voice breathy at her skin.  He massages her breasts, holding one and then the other, squeezing and rubbing.  His hips press to her, steadily picking up speed.

She can tell his eyes are on her, watching her breasts.  She arches for him, silently encouraging him to take more of her.  

He does.  He brings her arms to her sides, locking her in with his own, and bends low to suck her nipples.

She wiggles against him, struggling indecisively against his persistent licking and sucking.  

He shoves himself into her deeply, grinding heavily against her, his member pressing at her womb.  He then pulls up, nipple between his lips, her entire breast stretching with him until he releases her.

It leaves her gasping, her entire being stimulated.  He repeats his ministrations with her other side, and she yelps.  She arches with him in futile effort as he lifts her, suckling her hard.  

He releases her nipple and doesn’t give her a chance to catch her breath as he assaults her lips.  His tongue sweeps across her mouth thoroughly, muting her moans.

When he finally sets her mouth free, she can breathe.  She’s vaguely aware of the lewd sounds coming from their intimate connection, how her thighs are wet and how she can feel his sack, sticky as it meets her.  She’s more aware of how his rod, hot and hard, slips easily back and forth as he draws out to the tip and then lunges into her.  How strong he is, his arms and shoulders boxing her in, his pelvis and, no doubt, abs are working for her.  It’s all him, a god among men, the love of her life.  She moans his name again into his ear, her hands smoothing over his skin, massaging the swells of his muscles across his arms and back.

He embraces her close, his hips working against her, his member reaching into her, touching her deepest parts.  

“Oh, oh..oh...Na..ru,to..kuun..mmm...ohh..oh..”

“Hahhh...Hinataa…ugh...you’re so wet…”

“That’s…be...cause...of...you…”  Each word is a breath he pushes out of her.  Each inhale and exhale dependent on his pace.

“Mm...yeah…”  He thrusts faster.  “I wanna..do you..all night...wanna..make you..come...all night…!”  He reaches his hand beneath her back, the other to cradle her head.

If not for his passionate words, his cuddling arms are enough to make her heart tremble with overwhelming love.  She wants to tell him, she wants him to know.  Instead she lets his name spill from her lips repeatedly as rays of heat curl through her with each press against her womb.

His breath gets harsher, warmer upon her neck.  He kisses her sloppily for a second, only to break for much-needed air as his thrusts grow stronger.  He pulls his arms out from under her to support his efforts.  “Hinata...Hina...oh...you..make me wanna..come…”

“...Come for..me…” she softly encourages, yearning to feel his length stretch ever farther within her.

He seems to shake his head, grinding against her to slow himself.  “No, no...don’t wanna come yet...you feel so good…”

Hinata squirms beneath him.  She feels only half-made, a work of creation needing his touch of energy, his life-giving passion to be whole.

He struggles against her, pressing into her deeply to minimize her movement.  “Gods, Hinata...mmm…”  He groans roughly.  “You’re gonna make me come,” he scolds.

“Naruto-kun!” she cries in frustration.  Doesn’t he know how much she needs him?

He presses kisses to her mouth, his thrusts light and soft.

It’s not enough.  “Naruto-kun…” she calls quietly, her dazed eyes searching for his.  She finds them, low-lidded and dark.  “We can...we can...keep going...after…”

“Oh yeah?” he asks, his voice shaky.

“Yes,” she breathes, as enticingly as she can.  “So come...come for me…”

She feels his member harden, his thrust sudden and determined.  His breaths come out fast and frenzied, his pace even moreso.

She’s panting, unable to keep up with him, his rush for completion stoking a burning fire that’s melting her, molding her, creating her.  

“-na...come all...night...in you...fill you...all up…”  His murmurs are barely audible above their gasps and the meeting of their groins.  

She’s moaning, his energy a divine illumination for her being, and she can feel him, stretching, reaching into her, waking her in places he only knows, leaving her trembling for his sure revelation.

“Hhhaahh, ahh..hhhaahh...mm.. _ohh..ah_..”  He stiffens, strong and heavy on her.

His ecstasy rushes into her, waves of euphoric completion enveloping and uplifting her until she’s awash in rapturous fulfillment.  Her entirety pulsing, gloriously alive as he finishes her.

He presses his forehead against hers, sighing.

Her heart pounds, her breath quick as she finds his, calming and steady, that eases her to earth.  She lifts her chin, kissing him appreciatively.

He lays on her until he softens, and the intimate, physical connection between them is lost.  He collapses off of her, pulling her close, sealing her body to his in a snug embrace.

She lets herself rest against him, enjoying his continued affection.  She traces light caresses across his skin, and his fingers thread gently in her hair.  

This is more than something.  

It always has been.

She closes her eyes, listening to his heartbeat.  She’s not imagining this.  She’s certain she’s not.  

Maybe he can’t say it now.  Maybe he doesn’t even know it.  

“Naruto-kun..?”  Her voice is so quiet, she’s not even sure she heard herself.

But he answers, subdued.  “Hm?”  His hand gently strokes at her hair.

“I…”   _I love you._  She closes her mouth, then tries again.  “Am I…” _Special to you?_ She can’t ask.  She doesn’t want to ask.  

He shifts a bit to look at her.  “Hm?”

Seeing that he’s waiting for her, she settles on something much safer.  “Thank you...thank you for being with me.”

He squeezes her.  “Hinata…” He kisses her, smoothly, softly, gently.  

It’s these lips and warm breath she would give up all else for.

These battle-worn hands, much more gentle than anyone could expect, she would hold for the rest of her life if she could.

This boy, young man, she can be patient for.  

Until he’s ready for love.  

Until she’s ready, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *End*
> 
> This story was a ton of fun to write. It was supposed to just be a self-indulgent smutfic, but there turned out to be way more character development and plot than I was expecting :)  
> Still a smutfic though.
> 
> Ending on smut is always the way to go.
> 
> Thank you for reading and thank you to all of you who gave encouragement along the way!


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